


Drunk With Love

by maruyaaya



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji is Bad at Feelings, Angst, Bokuaka - Freeform, CAPTAIN SQUAD, College AU, M/M, Swearing, akaashi is whipped but he doesn’t even know it, bokuto koutarou is also bad at feelings, hella gay, homophobic parents, i’m back with more angst, kinda wack, lot of background ships, photographer akaashi, the friend groups might seem really weird but trust me i picked them for their dynamics, volleyball is gay you heard it here first
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:41:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22770403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maruyaaya/pseuds/maruyaaya
Summary: Bokuto missed his old friends at Fukurodani and he’d gotten bored of the regular college life. So when Kuroo offered to take him clubbing, his only thought was “is Kuroo sober enough to be making these decisions?” Ending up at the club anyways, he found himself drunk enough to make terrible decisions.Akaashi wondered how he’d gotten into this situation. Nishinoya had just wanted to get his mind off of a failed midterm so how did it end up like this? Nishinoya was bouncing around the club, drunk after having only two shots. Tsukishima was sitting at the bar, drinking his 5th shot and sobbing about how much of a mess his life was. And Lev? Well, Lev was doing what he usually did. He didn’t know what was going on but he was just happy to be there.So after a chance encounter, Bokuto and Akaashi are reunited. But after years of not seeing each other, they’re both far too shy to make the first move
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 86
Kudos: 145





	1. I swear I’m not drunk

**Author's Note:**

> ah i love bokuaka! i would like to apologize in advance if chapters are slow because i usually write stories in one big chunk and publish it all at once but i wanted to try something different with this one. i hope you enjoy! <3

“C’mon, Bokuto, we never hang out anymore! Kenma said he would go,” Kuroo sat on the couch of their shared dorm. He ran a hand through his dark hair and pleaded with Bokuto. 

“You have a chem test tomorrow,” Bokuto wasn’t usually the more responsible one, but Kuroo was currently far too drunk to be making decisions. Kuroo picked up the beer bottle next to him and took another sip. It was times like these when he missed his old high school team, Akaashi had always been there to keep him in check. 

“I studied already!” Kuroo exclaimed, standing up from his chair. Bokuto sighed and picked up his phone, tapping out a quick message. If Kuroo already studied, who was he to say no to going out? 

_Bokuto: are u guys coming with me & kuroo? We’re going partying and kenma is apparently going_

_Oikawa: i will take any excuse to party_

_Oikawa: plus i miss kenma i haven’t seen him in a while and he’s hella cute_

_Kuroo: back. off._

_Bokuto: oikawa gets one thirsty thought a day calm down_

_Oikawa: thirsty thought? more like thirsty thot_

_Oikawa: DONT LEAVE ME ON READ_

_Daichi: don’t you guys have classes tomorrow?_

_Daichi: actually why not i had a midterm yesterday i need to get my mind off it_

_Oikawa: can i bring iwa-chan???_

_Bokuto: oikawa he’s imaginary_

_Oikawa: I DO NOT HAVE AN IMAGINARY BOYFRIEND_

_Daichi: i left my keys in my room can you open the door for me??_

_Bokuto: coming_

_Oikawa: ill be there in like 5 minutes!!_

_Kuroo: IM NOT DRUNK_

_Oikawa: no one said u were, u absolute fucking buffoon_

Bokuto pulled open the door for Daichi. The four friends shared a dorm, each one pitching in for the rent. They hadn’t been the best of friends in high school (minus Kuroo and Bokuto), but they’d really hit it off when they came to university. 

“Kuroo’s kinda drunk,” Bokuto told Daichi, closing the door behind him. Daichi sighed and sat down next to Bokuto. 

“Am not!” Kuroo yelled, taking yet another sip of his beer. 

“I’m surprised you’re not the drunk one. You’re the one with the incredibly low alcohol tolerance,” Daichi laughed, picking up his phone and scrolling through Instagram. Bokuto yelled out a ‘hey’, only to be interrupted by Oikawa opening the door. 

“Hello, my lovelies!” Oikawa smiled, flipping his hair over. Bokuto rolled his eyes and threw the nearest object at Oikawa. Sadly, it was just a pillow, not causing too much damage. Although, Bokuto did have a pretty killer swing. 

“Let’s go party!” Kuroo yelled, standing up from the couch, nearly falling over in excitement. Daichi helped him up. 

“Are you gays ready to go?” Oikawa looped his arms around Bokuto and Daichi, unable to grow a third arm for Kuroo. 

“You mean guys?” Daichi started, only to be cut off by Oikawa. 

“Did I fucking stutter?” Oikawa asked, pulling the two of them in tightly. Bokuto shrugged, not bothering to deny it. He’d come to terms with his sexuality when he’d had his first _gay awakening._ Namely, Keiji Akaashi, his best friend in high school. Messy dark hair and piercing blue eyes, Akaashi had probably been Bokuto’s most handsome friend. Or maybe that was biased since Bokuto had a crush on him for two years. They hadn’t really spoken since Bokuto had graduated. They’d tried to keep in contact, texting occasionally, but the last time they’d spoken had to be over a year, maybe two ago. 

“It’s party time!” Bokuto yelled, doing a little dance. The four gathered their belongings, hoping that Kuroo would sober up a little on the way. Luckily for them, Kuroo had an extremely high alcohol tolerance. About halfway through the drive, Kuroo’s drunken state began to wear off. Bokuto decided that in order to get back at Kuroo, he would annoy the hell out of him as Kuroo had been the unfortunate one to sit in the backseat with Bokuto. 

They reached the nearest club, Kuroo immediately heading over to the bar. The others followed and while Kuroo ordered several drinks for himself, they stuck to one only. Daichi, knowing he would be the designated driver, refused to have any more than just one drink. Bokuto knew having several drinks would get him drunk pretty fast and they’d just gotten here, he didn’t wanna throw up just yet. Oikawa took his drink with him, heading off in search of the famed Iwa-chan. Bokuto still wasn’t entirely sure Iwa-chan even existed or if Oikawa had just made him up to seem like he had a boyfriend. 

“I wanna find Kenma! Bokuto, come with me!” Kuroo exclaimed, grabbing Bokuto’s hand. Bokuto shook his hand off and followed, leaving Daichi at the bar. Kuroo raced ahead and Bokuto soon lost sight of him. He scrambled along, pushing through the crowds of people trying to find Kuroo. 

“Kuroo! Where’d you go!” Bokuto yelled out, people crowding him on all sides. Kuroo’s messy black hair was visible nowhere in the group despite him being so fucking tall. Bokuto sighed and returned to the bar to inform Daichi that he’d lost Kuroo, only to find that Daichi was gone as well. Bokuto grabbed a drink from the bar, knowing he would probably end up getting drunk, but at this point, he’d already made a bad decision to go clubbing on a school night so why not make more bad decisions? 

He stumbled around, drink in hand, the alcohol already starting to take an effect on him. He wasn’t too drunk, just a little tipsy, but it was difficult for him to stay on his feet. Finding a seat, he quickly sat down to try and rest his head. He put his drink down next to him and closed his eyes for a few seconds. He felt someone sit down next to him and opened his eyes slightly. 

“Nishinoya, please stop having drinks, I am not going to take care of your hangover. Tsukishima, please take care of him, nO TSUKISHIMA STOP HAVING DRINKS NO YOUR LIFE IS NOT A MESS!” the man beside Bokuto yelled out. His voice sounded strangely familiar and Bokuto’s head whipped around. He had changed, definitely, but there was something unmistakable about him. That jet black hair, those icy eyes, and that stressed expression. 

“Akaashi?”


	2. No, Tsukki, your life isn’t a mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi finds himself at a club that he very much does not want to be at. With all of his friends drunk, he’s pretty much the designated parent. So he must now wrangle his three kids and make sure that they don’t cause too much trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know that akaashi’s friend group is gonna seem like i just picked random people and put them together but trust me, i picked them for their personalities and the dynamic they could have

Akaashi wondered how he’d gotten into this situation. Nishinoya had just wanted to get his mind off of a failed midterm so how did it end up like this? Nishinoya was bouncing around the club, drunk after having only two shots. Tsukishima was sitting at the bar, drinking his 5th shot and sobbing about how much of a mess his life was. And Lev? Well, Lev was doing what he usually did. He didn’t know what was going on but he was just happy to be there. It had all started about an hour ago. 

Akaashi had been looking through some of his old belongings, digging through box after box after box. Lev had shown up in the middle of it, sitting down next to Akaashi. Lev dug through one of the boxes, picking up a small gold medal. 

“Hey, I remember this! When Fukurodani absolutely smoked Nekoma in the prelims for spring nationals!” Lev exclaimed, putting the medal around his neck, “who was that ace on your team again? Bosomething? I always thought you two were dating, he was hella good at volleyball.”

“Bokuto. He was like a little child who threw temper tantrums all the time,” Akaashi laughed, pulling the medal from Lev. Lev whined and Akaashi looked at the medal. He missed Fukurodani sometimes, they had been like a family. Mostly, he missed Bokuto. His stupid silver hair and his shining gold eyes made him one of the most attractive boys on the Fukurodani team. If he hadn’t acted like such a child, he probably would have been one of the most popular boys in the whole school. Akaashi wondered how he was doing in university. Akaashi couldn’t imagine that childish boy living on his own. 

“How come you and Bokuto didn’t keep in contact? You guys were really close. I mean, Yaku and me still keep in contact even though we go to different universities,” Lev asked, digging through some more of the boxes. He pulled out some photos from our high school days, featuring people I hadn’t seen for years. 

“That’s because you and Yaku are dating. Bokuto and I weren’t dating,” I explained, taking a look at the photos Lev had taken out. I smiled at the pictures of our team, Bokuto’s arm wrapped around my shoulders as I looked at him with a disgusted look on my face. 

“Guys, I think I failed my midterm,” Nishinoya burst through the door, dropping his backpack onto the floor with a heavy thud. Tsukishima’s head perked up from his homework but at the sight of Nishinoya, he returned to his work. 

“That’s why you should’ve studied, idiot,” Tsukishima responded, finishing up on his last question. Nishinoya let out a deep sigh and jumped onto the couch, spreading himself along the whole thing. 

“Can we go to a club? I wanna get my mind off it,” Nishinoya asked, waving his hands in the air. Despite being in his early 20s, he was still pretty short, not even taking up the whole couch. 

“It’s a school night, you have morning classes tomorrow. Also, you’re a lightweight,” Akaashi answered, going through some more photos. Nishinoya fell off the couch at the end of Akaashi’s sentence, letting out a small grunt. 

“Please! I promise I won’t get drunk!” Nishinoya jumped up and down on the couch before finally settling down and sitting again. 

“C’mon, it’ll do you some good to get out, Akaashi. You haven’t been out partying in a while,” Lev pointed out, sitting next to Nishinoya. Akaashi sighed an agreement and nodded. Nishinoya and Lev both let out cheers and Tsukishima sighed. 

“Have fun, I’m not coming,” Tsukishima closed his textbooks and walked over to his room. In just a few seconds, Lev was standing there blocking his path. 

“Oh you are coming,” Lev smiled, standing in the doorway so Tsukishima couldn’t get through. Tsukishima tried to push through but ended up failing. 

“Please come, Tsukishima. I can't take care of these idiots on my own, I already have gray hairs,” Akaashi ran a hand through his hair as if picking through it for the gray hairs. Tsukishima sighed and agreed, secretly happy to have a chance to get out of the house. 

So that brought them to where they were now. A mess. Akaashi had thought that Tsukishima would be responsible, but it turns out that despite being able to hold his alcohol, Tsukishima drank a lot. And Tsukishima also cried a lot when he was drunk. 

“My life is a mess and I’m going to amount to nothing in this world because nothing matters and we’re all just meaningless atoms floating around the earth,” Tsukishima sobbed in between hiccups, laying his head on the bar table as he ordered another drink. Akaashi shook his head and watched Nishinoya jump around the club, dancing with everyone. Surprisingly, Lev was the most responsible one as he was on the phone with Yaku and Yaku was yelling at him not to drink. 

Akaashi took a seat at the nearest couch, needing a break before he could deal with the idiots. He knew there was someone next to him, but chose to ignore them, focusing only on his idiots. He yelled out for his friends and leaned back into the chair, shutting his eyes until he heard the person next to him say his name. His eyes fluttered open and he looked at the man beside him. Spiky grey hair and those owl eyes, there was no mistaking him. 

“Bokuto?”


	3. Please stop talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi finds out that a drunk Bokuto talks even more than a sober Bokuto does which is already a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaa thanks so much for the support so far!! i’ve got a lot planned out and i hope you all look forward to it!

Bokuto couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Akaashi and Akaashi smiled back. They wrapped their arms around each other in a tight hug. The sight of his high school friend made Bokuto happy. His best friend was back. After not seeing him for years, it felt like fate for them to meet again without any prior communciation. 

“It’s been a while, Bokuto” Akaashi smiled, pulling apart from the hug. 

“AGKAAAAASHIII!” Bokuto’s face broke into a huge smile as he hugged Akaashi again. Akaashi laughed and pushed him away, smelling the alcohol in Bokuto’s breath. 

“You’re drunk, where are your friends?” Akaashi asked, his eyebrows knitting together. Bokuto shrugged, signaling that he had absolutely no clue where his friends went. He’d lost Kuroo, Oikawa was searching for his fake boyfriend, and Daichi had simply just disappeared. He’d find them eventually, all he currently cared about was Akaashi. 

Akaashi sighed and waved for Lev to come over, the only sober one of his friends. Lev hung up the phone and came over, his mouth nearly falling to the floor at the sight of Bokuto. 

“Bokuto? This is crazy, we were just talking about you before we came here! Man, I miss Beyoncé, I wish she would show up right now,” Lev rambled on and on, shaking Bokuto’s hand but then moving in for a hug. Bokuto looked at Lev for a few seconds as if trying to remember who he was before realization dawned on his face. 

“Lev, I’m gonna bring Bokuto to try and find his friends. You’re in charge because you’re the only sober one. Don’t make me regret this,” Akaashi instructed Lev, looping his arm around Bokuto and standing up. Bokuto took a step towards Lev and looked right into his eyes, his face mere inches away from Lev’s. 

“Lev Haiba! The first year! I remember you because you sucked! Yeah, Kenma was always complaining about you,” Bokuto exclaimed, each word piercing through Lev like an arrow, “I’ll never forget the day Kenma came by and actually smiled because he said you were getting better.” 

“Well, I’ll have you know I- wait I made Kenma smile? MY LIFE GOALS HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED!” Lev yelled, jumping up and down. Akaashi winced at the loud noise and smacked Lev on the head. Akaashi could’ve sworn he heard Bokuto mumble something about a ‘vibe check’. 

“Calm down and take care of the kids,” Akaashi told him, pushing Lev into the direction of Nishinoya and Tsukishima. Akaashi grabbed Bokuto’s arm and dragged him through the club. 

They walked through the crowds of people, Akaashi looping his arm through Bokuto’s in order to not lose him. Bokuto followed along quietly, slightly stumbling from the alcohol.

“Where did you last see your friends and what do they look like?” Akaashi asked, keeping his eyes open for anyone familiar. Bokuto gestured vaguely around the whole club as if not entirely sure who he was even looking for. 

“They’re all big and tall. Kuroo looks like a rooster and this other guy is really stupid and he has a fake boyfriend. My dad came with us when he’s not actually my dad but he may as well be, I call him dadchi,” Bokuto rambled, slurring his words together. Akaashi shook his head, none of the information would be useful. As he searched around the club, the name Bokuto said finally registered in his brain. 

“Kuroo? As in Nekoma Kuroo?” Akaashi asked. Bokuto nodded and began to ramble about meaningless facts about Kuroo, such as the fact that Kuroo apparently slept with two pillows pressed up against the sides of his head. Turns out, Bokuto talked a lot when he was drunk.

“Give me your phone Akaashi,” Bokuto grinned, holding out his hand for Akaashi’s phone. Akaashi gave him an apprehensive look before passing it over. Bokuto tapped in his number and passed the phone back. Akaashi read over the number and a smile crossed his face. Tucking his phone away, they continued their search. 

“Kitty rooster boy! I’m gonna get going, text me later akaaaaaaashi!” Bokuto ran off before Akaashi could even say goodbye. Akaashi weakly waved as Bokuto skipped away and he walked off towards where he’d last left Lev. 

“Akaashi! Help me!” Lev yelled,Tsukishima hanging off of his leg and Nishinoya jumping around. Akaashi sighed, already feeling the impending headache of two drunk five year olds. Akaashi grabbed Nishinoya’s hand, stopping him from moving around too much. 

“C’mon, let’s go home,” Akaashi grabbed Tsukishima’s hand as well, dragging him up. Tsukishima leaned against Akaashi, tears still falling from his eyes. Akaashi managed to calm down Nishinoya a little and Lev wiped the sweat off of his forehead, happy to have someone to deal with the drunk idiots. 

“Akaashi, I’m gonna die alone,” Tsukishima cried onto Akaashi’s shoulder, clearly forgetting that he had a boyfriend who was probably spamming his phone right now. Akaashi couldn’t help but sigh. It felt like tonight, all Akaashi had done was sigh. Even if tonight had been a mess, at least one good thing had come out of it. He’d seen Bokuto again and now he had the chance to rekindle their friendship, or maybe even find out what could’ve been between them. 

“Yes, Tsukki, yes you are.”


	4. Not a date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto wakes up to a nasty hangover, finding an unknown person in Oikawa’s bedroom. Akaashi begins to send him mixed signals and it takes everything in Bokuto not to just scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hell yeah i managed to finish this chapter! i think this fic might be around 15 chapters but i have to see how long it goes

Bokuto woke up on his bed, his head pounding. The blank ceiling above him seemed to slightly sway as he held a hand to his forehead. Kuroo’s bed was empty, the black sheets strewn across the floor. Bokuto barely remembered last night, the events after he’d gotten drunk were fuzzy at best. He remembered stumbling around the club and talking to someone. He remembered their short black hair. He remembered their icy blue eyes. He remembered — Akaashi? 

He nearly rolled off of his bed in a panic at the sound of his phone buzzing. His face lit up at the sight of the text. Rolling around on his bed, he tried to calm his nerves before answering the text. 

_Unknown: hey bokuto, its akaashi, just wanted to check in that you got home okay_

Bokuto’s face broke out into a huge smile and he let out a small squeal. It had been so long since he’d seen Akaashi and now Bokuto couldn’t help but remember what it had been like back in high school. It was almost as if Bokuto was catching feelings again. Almost. 

_Bokuto: AKAAAAAAASHIIIII!!_

_Akaashi: hello bokuto_

_Bokuto: SAY HELLO TO LITTLE LEV FOR ME_

_Akaashi: will do_

_Akaashi: lev says not to call him little because he could bench press you_

_Bokuto: FUCKING BET_

“Stop yelling!” Oikawa’s head peeked in through the door of Bokuto’s room. Oikawa and Bokuto both didn’t have morning classes today, which was pretty lucky considering both of them had pretty bad hangovers. Oikawa took one look at the bright smile on Bokuto’s face and sat down on Bokuto’s bed, “ooh who’s making you smile?” 

“AKAAAAAASHI!” Bokuto yelled, causing Oikawa to cover his ears as his head began to pound once more. He winced at the sound and held the side of his head with his hands. 

“If you’re going to yell, then I’m going to leave,” Oikawa stood up, slamming the door behind him. Bokuto yelled his name and ran out of bed, following him into the living room. Bokuto ran as fast as could, jumping right on top of Oikawa. Oikawa let out a scream as he was crushed beneath Bokuto’s weight. 

“Shittykawa, what the fuck is going on,” a voice grumbled from behind the door of Oikawa and Daichi’s shared room. The door creaked open and a head peaked out. Dark hair hung messily down their face and olive green eyes widened at the sight of Bokuto. 

Bokuto screamed at the sight of the intruder and Oikawa tried to cover Bokuto’s mouth. It was times like these when Bokuto was glad they’d gotten an apartment off campus. The boy in Oikawa’s room, who Bokuto had to admit was pretty attractive, was wearing only a bed sheet tied around his waist. 

“Iwa-chan I told you to- BOKUTO STOP SCREAMING!” Oikawa tried to deflate the situation, covering Bokuto’s mouth with his hand. Bokuto finally calmed down as he realized this was the Iwa-chan that Oikawa had mentioned so often. So, he was real! 

“I thought your roommates weren’t home,” Iwa-chan, (Bokuto assumed his name was Iwa-chan), stepped back into Oikawa’s room, closing the door behind him. After a few moments, Iwa-chan came back out, fully clothed. 

“I thought Bokuto had morning classes today,” Oikawa rubbed the back of his head, finally releasing Bokuto. 

“Hey, I’m Hajime Iwaizumi, Oikawa’s boyfriend,” Iwa-chan, Iwaizumi actually, held out his hand. Bokuto shook it and introduced himself. 

“So you do exist! I thought Oikawa was making you up,” Bokuto exclaimed, shaking Iwaizumi’s hand vigorously. Iwaizumi shrugged and Oikawa made some sort of offended noise. In all honesty, Bokuto wasn’t even sure how it was possible for him to make that noise. 

Iwaizumi sat down on the couch with Bokuto and Oikawa, placing his arm around his boyfriend. They played a movie as they basically talked shit about Oikawa. Iwaizumi reminded Bokuto of Akaashi, or maybe that was because no matter what he couldn’t get Akaashi out of his mind now. Those blue eyes remained fixated in his brain. 

Iwaizumi was just telling a story about how Oikawa had burned down his kitchen once but had ended up making an absolutely fantastic chocolate cake when Bokuto’s phone shook. Bokuto nearly dove across the couch to grab it, his eyes lighting up. Oikawa and Iwaizumi looked at eachother, mutual understanding passing between them. Oikawa paused the movie as Bokuto read over the text. 

_Akaashi: hey bokuto_

_Akaashi: do you wanna come grab a coffee with me at this small place i know today_

_Akaashi: just to like catch up or whatever_

Bokuto let out yet another scream and Oikawa grabbed his phone, reading the texts. Iwaizumi peered over Oikawa’s shoulder, both of their faces breaking out into smirks. 

“He’s asking you on a date!” Oikawa yelled, grinning triumphantly. Iwaizumi shook his head and grabbed the phone from Oikawa. 

“Or he’s just asking you to hang out. I’m not saying it can’t turn into something from there but you can’t go to a casual meetup expecting it to be a date,” Iwaizumi appeared to be the logical side of Oikawa. The part of Oikawa who probably stopped him from ending up in jail. 

“Oh come on! You can totally tell that the ‘just to catch up’ part was added as an afterthought!” Oikawa pointed out, reading over the texts again. 

“Or it’s just his texting style,” Iwaizumi shrugged. Bokuto yanked his phone back and threw his head backwards, letting out a groan. Iwaizumi and Oikawa were like the angel and devil on his shoulders. Iwaizumi was the common sense and Oikawa was the desperation. 

“Text him back right now!” Oikawa yelled, pushing Iwaizumi’s face out of the way so he could see Bokuto. Iwaizumi pushed him back, quickly escalating into a fight. They slapped at each other all the while laughing. Bokuto decided to text Akaashi back as they argued. 

_Bokuto: YEAH I WANNA COME!!!_

_Akaashi: great. how about in like an hour?_

_Bokuto: I WILL SEE YOU THERE!!!_

_Bokuto: AKAAAAASHI_

_Akaashi: :)_

Bokuto’s face turned beet red at the mere sight of Akaashi’s smiley face. Bokuto wasn’t sure why that tiny detail made him so happy, but it did and he wasn’t going to question it. 

“You have a date!” Oikawa exclaimed, jumping off of the couch. 

“Not a date,” Iwaizumi chimed in, leaning back on the couch. Bokuto’s phone chimed one more time and Bokuto raced for it, intently reading over the text. 

_Akaashi: wait don’t you have classes_

_Bokuto: I HAVE CLASS IN FIVE MINUTES SHIT_

_Akaashi: sigh_

_Akaashi: text me when your class is over i’ll meet you then_

_Bokuto: THANK YOU AKAASHI_

Bokuto ran to his room, not providing an explanation to Oikawa and Iwaizumi on what the text was about. Oikawa, however, had an idea on what was going on considering he’d lived with Bokuto for so long. He explained to Iwaizumi that Bokuto was probably late for class and he waved goodbye as Bokuto ran out the door. 

Bokuto ran as fast as his legs could carry him. The wind brushed against his face and his hair flew back. His face reddened at the thought of his meeting with Akaashi. At least he would have something to look forward to after his boring class. 

After class, Bokuto found Akaashi waiting outside. Bokuto ran in for a hug and Akaashi reluctantly accepted, patting his head gently. Akaashi led the way to a nearby coffee shop where they sat down and ordered their drinks. 

“So, Bokuto, what are you majoring in?” Akaashi asked, sparking the small talk with one of the most basic questions. 

“Physical ed. Still working on that volleyball career. I’m going to go to the olympics one day, just watch me!” Bokuto announced proudly, nearly knocking his coffee cup off of the table, “what about you?” 

“Oh, y’know, the basic asian dream. Parents wanted me to be a doctor so here I am. Med school isn’t too bad, I just don’t like it that much, but whatever,” Akaashi stirred his black coffee. Bokuto thought about Akaashi’s situation for a few moments. 

“You should do what you want in life! Not what your parents want!” Bokuto yelled, standing up quickly. Akaashi grabbed Bokuto’s arm, pulling him down. Akaashi’s face flushed slightly at Bokuto’s sudden movement as the customers sitting nearby turned to look at them. 

“It’s complicated, Bokuto. My parents are-” Akaashi began to explain something only to be cut off by Bokuto’s phone ringing. Bokuto picked it up to silence it, but Akaashi nodded, signaling him to pick up. Bokuto raised the phone to his ear, immediately beginning to yell. 

“Kuroo what the fuck do you want, I’m busy!” Bokuto yelled into the phone. Bokuto noticed Akaashi’s small smile and felt a blush creeping up his face. 

“What, are you on a date or something?” Kuroo asked. The blush on Bokuto’s face only grew as he frantically denied it. Bokuto was sure that he could see Kuroo’s smirking face. 

“Shut up, Kuroo. I’m hanging up on you,” Bokuto told him, pulling the phone away from his face. Kuroo yelled for him to wait and Bokuto raised the phone up to his face once more. 

“Just wanted to let you know that we got a caterer for your birthday and Oikawa and I are planning something special. Invite your date!” and with that, Kuroo hung up. Bokuto knew that once he could home, he was going to vibe check Kuroo so hard. Bokuto sat back down, complaining about how annoying Kuroo was. Akaashi laughed and listened, letting Bokuto rant for as long as he needed. 

The two talked for a while, going on and on about whatever random topics they could think of. Bokuto enjoyed his time, wishing that it wouldn’t end when Akaashi stood up and said he had to go to class. Bokuto whined and told Akaashi to skip, but he denied, needing to keep his grades up. As they pushed out their chairs to leave, Bokuto stopped Akaashi. 

“Hey, Akaashi. My birthday is in a couple of days and I’m having an epic party with my friends! You should come! Bring your friends too!” Bokuto exclaimed, looping an arm around Akaashi. Akaashi’s face turned red as he pushed Bokuto’s arm off of him. 

“Text me your address. I’ll be there!” Akaashi smiled, opening the cafe door and leaving. Bokuto stood inside for a few moments, smiling at the spot where Akaashi had just been.


	5. That was my pudding cup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto’s birthday comes up and Akaashi is sending him plenty of mixed signals But maybe that’s Akaashi’s present; mixed signals to confused Bokuto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bruhh i finished the manga recently and chapter 337 said bokuaka rights!! furudate called me himself and told me that bokuaka is canon

Bokuto had classes on the day of his birthday which he endlessly complained about. Luckily for him, he only had a couple of morning classes, leaving his afternoon open for his party. He and Akaashi had met up a few times since Bokuto had told him about his birthday and the most exciting part of his birthday was the fact that Akaashi would be there. 

Kuroo was teasing him endlessly because he was 100% sure Bokuto had a crush on Akaashi, but even Bokuto didn’t know that yet. They’d only just met up after years, it was too fast for either one of them to truly catch feelings. 

Kuroo and Oikawa promised that the party would be the best birthday ever and Bokuto wasn’t sure how they would top last year, where they’d all chipped in to buy a fucking owl that they did have to eventually return as their apartment didn’t allow pets, much less owls. Of course, it did help that Oikawa had rich parents so it was mostly possible for them to do anything. 

The party wasn’t supposed to be big, just a few friends. But when something involves Bokuto, it’s never going to stay small. 

“Don’t worry Bokuto, I’ll stop Kuroo and Oikawa from what they’re planning on doing,” Daichi told Bokuto, sprinting off in another direction as guests began to show up. This did not seem like a good sign to Bokuto, but he shrugged it off, excited to see the train wreck. Bokuto greeted the guests, loud music playing in the background. 

He counted the minutes until Akaashi would show up, hoping that every knock on his door would be Akaashi. About 15 minutes in, Bokuto was still hoping for Akaashi when someone knocked on the door. Pulling it open, Bokuto’s grin grew even bigger. 

“Hey Bokuto, happy birthday,” Akaashi smiled, holding two small presents in his hands. Behind him stood Lev and two others. The tall blond with the glasses waved and the tiny gremlin jumped around, shaking Bokuto’s hand. 

“Tsukkipoo!” Bokuto smiled, hugging Tsukishima. Tsukishima reluctantly hugged back, gently patting his back a few times. Bokuto didn’t recognize the shorty right away, staring straight at him for a few seconds. The shorty stared back, having an unofficial staring contest. Bokuto’s eyes grew dry and he blinked, cursing as the shorty jumped up. 

“That’s Nishinoya. He was the Karasuno libero,” Akaashi explained as Nishinoya and Lev ran into the apartment, Tsukishima following behind to keep them out of trouble. 

“Oh yeah, I remember him. Quite an annoying libero. Kept digging up every spike,” Bokuto complained, the days of his high school volleyball team coming back. He hadn’t gotten to play Karasuno in an official match which he always regretted but he remembered Nishinoya being a libero that could rival Yaku back in their practice games. 

“So, you gonna introduce me to your friends? I’d hate to be at a party where I didn’t know anyone?” Akaashi smiled, handing Bokuto one neatly wrapped box and one well, messily wrapped box. Small cursive printing on the better box read ‘from Keiji Akaashi’ and the scribbles on the other read ‘Lev, NOYA, & Saltyshima’. 

“Follow me,” Bokuto laughed, grabbing Akaashi’s hand. Bokuto pulled Akaashi through the crowd, dropping the two presents in his room on the way. As they walked, more like Bokuto dragged Akaashi, to the kitchen, they came across an out of breath Daichi. Daichi spotted Bokuto and quickly ran up to him, looking up at him with a pleading look in his eyes. 

“Please tell me you’ve seen Kuroo and Oikawa,” Daichi begged, holding Bokuto’s hand. Bokuto shook his head and Daichi’s breath caught in his throat. 

“Should I be worried?” Bokuto asked, looking back at Akaashi. Daichi seemed to only now see the dark haired male standing next to Bokuto and he quickly straightened up. 

“Nope! Everything is just fine. It’s all gonna be fucking fine,” Daichi said through gritted teeth. It sounded more like Daichi was trying to convince himself rather than convince Bokuto. Akaashi, sensing Daichi’s panic, held out his hand. 

“I’m Keiji Akaashi, Bokuto’s friend,” Akaashi smiled, shaking Daichi’s hand. 

“Daichi Sawamura. Also Bokuto’s friend but at the same time his dad,” Daichi returned the handshake before running off, apparently spotting Oikawa. He yelled for Oikawa to stop running and chased after him. Akaashi looked at Bokuto as if asking for an explanation, but Bokuto merely shrugged. 

“Your friends are weird,” Akaashi pointed out as Bokuto dragged him somewhere else. Bokuto laughed and pulled open the door of his room. He stepped on to the balcony, Akaashi behind him. Bokuto leaned over the edge, the cool air brushing past his face. Each gust of wind was a literal breath of fresh air from the packed environment of the party. 

“If your parents didn’t want you to be a doctor, what would you do?” Bokuto asked, still leaning over the edge. Akaashi stepped forward slightly, leaning over next to Bokuto. From their previous conversations, Bokuto had learned not to pry too much into Akaashi’s relationship with his parents. It was complicated and Akaashi didn’t like to talk about it. 

“Photography! I love the feeling of the camera in your hands and then it feels like you could create anything. You could save a moment forever or transform a gloomy day into a beautiful scenery,” Akaashi’s face lit up at the mere mention of photography. His eyes sparkled as he looked straight forward at the city beneath them, hands fidgeting as if he was holding a camera. 

Bokuto couldn’t help but realize just how attractive Akaashi was. Not only that, but when Akaashi was passionate about something, his whole demeanour changed and Bokuto loved it. The twinkle in Akaashi’s eyes, the big smile across his face, and the freedoms in his movements was something that Bokuto wished he would be able to see forever. He never wanted to see that bored expression when he talked about med school. 

“Would you ever wanna be a model for me?” Akaashi asked, whipping his head towards Bokuto. The sudden question shocked Bokuto, causing him to stumble over his own feet. Akaashi noted the panicked look and added, “you don’t have to! It could just be something we do for fun.” 

“Of course I would! But on one condition! Come play with my volleyball team, I miss your awesome sets,” Bokuto smiled. His brain hurt at the thought of almost having lost this opportunity. 

“Why not,” Akaashi nodded, reaching a hand out across the metal bar of the balcony. Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s hand and pulled him in. Their fingers were intertwined as the two leaned in closer. Bokuto could feel Akaashi’s thick lashes tickling his cheek as he slowly pressed his lips against each other. 

Bokuto has expected it to feel wrong. They’d only been talking for like a week after not seeing each other for years. Somehow, it didn’t feel wrong. More than that, it felt right. It was as if they were making up for all of that missed time. 

Even after the kiss, their faces remained close together. They opened their eyes at around the same time. Bokuto felt warm, as if kissing Akaashi was the only thing he wanted to do right now. Akaashi’s face was pale, the rosy colour drained out of his cheeks. He pulled away from Bokuto. 

“Bokuto, I should go. Happy birthday,” Akaashi mumbled, adjusting his jacket as he walked into the apartment. Bokuto yelled for him to wait but Akaashi ignored him, only speeding up. Bokuto eventually lost him in the crowd. Returning to his room, Bokuto kicked over a trash can, the papers spilling everywhere. 

Bokuto thought the kiss was nice. He thought that Akaashi had been hinting at it the whole night. Akaashi could have at least told him what was wrong instead of just rushing out without a word. Bokuto felt his eyes flood with tears as he remembered the feeling of Akaashi’s lips on his. 

It hadn’t even been a minute but Bokuto was already missing Akaashi. He sat on his bed, wiping his tears with the edge of his bedsheet. The door to his room creaked open and two familiar heads popped in. Kuroo and Oikawa had big grins on their faces, both looking incredibly drunk. 

“Bokuto! We got you a stripper!” Kuroo yelled, slamming open the door. Bokuto wiped his eyes, hiding the tears that had previously fallen. Tonight was his birthday and it was supposed to be fun. He wasn’t going to let Akaashi ruin his mood. He followed Oikawa and Kuroo who led him to the stripper. 

Bokuto enjoyed the party, glasses of alcohol in his hands and pretty girls on all sides of him. One had gotten particularly close to him. Pressed up against him in the middle of the room, she quickly pecked his cheek, leaving a large lipstick mark on the side of his face. 

“Hey, birthday boy. I didn’t get you a present so I was hoping this would do,” she smirked, pushing up against him. Bokuto wasn’t thinking, his brain clouded by the alcohol. In this moment, all he knew was that he wanted a distraction. 

He kissed the girl, running his hands through her hair and gripping her sides. The crowd around them, including Oikawa and Kuroo, erupted into cheers as Bokuto dragged the girl to his bedroom. Shutting the door behind him, he noticed the small white box sitting on his bedside table. Pulling off his shirt, he threw it on top of the box, covering it so he wouldn’t need to think of Akaashi. 

The next morning Bokuto woke with yet another pounding headache. He mentally slapped himself and promised to take a break from the alcohol. At least, last night he hadn’t been too drunk. He at least remembered the dark haired girl lying next to him, still asleep. 

He didn’t remember her name. He wasn’t even sure she told him. All that mattered was that she had been pretty good and she had gotten his mind off of things. At least for a little. It almost pained him how much he imagined she was Akaashi. 

They didn’t even look alike. The black hair was the end of their similarities, but there was something about the look in her eyes when he was on top of her that made him wish he could have been with Akaashi. 

The girl began to fidget around, slowly waking up. She pulled out her phone, checking the time and brushing the hair from her face. She smiled at Bokuto and moved the hair from her shoulder, revealing the small bruises on her neck. 

“I don’t know who Keiji is, but if you ever need to forget him again, feel free to call me up. You were fun,” she scribbled her number on a piece of paper and handed it to Bokuto. So Bokuto hadn’t imagined himself saying Akaashi’s name during sex. Pulling on her clothes, she opened the door. 

“Thanks for-” Bokuto started to say something but she cut him off. 

“I hope it works out with you and this Keiji guy,” she smiled, closing the door behind her. Bokuto fell backwards on the bed, groaning. He was lucky that this girl didn’t care. He was lucky that when he’d screamed Akaashi’s name while she was riding him, she’d only smiled and pushed harder. He was lucky that she left her number without another word. 

But he couldn’t feel lucky. Not when there were no texts from Akaashi. Not when Akaashi had left without saying anything. Not when the only thing he wanted was to feel Akaashi next to him. 

Grabbing his shirt off of his bedside table, he noticed the small white box that was still sitting there unopened. The matching box was underneath and Bokuto picked up both boxes. He quickly opened the messier one, finding about $30 and some condoms. Bokuto sighed, not sure what he was expecting from Lev. Even if it had been years since he’d last seen Lev, it appeared that Lev hadn’t changed at all. 

The other box was slightly bigger and Bokuto admired the cursive printing on the side. Akaashi’s name was written in tilted spirals, accompanied by Bokuto’s name underneath. Bokuto pulled off the wrapping paper to find a stack of photos and a note written in the same beautiful cursive that was on the box. 

_Dear Bokuto,_  
_I apologize for my kind of lame gift. I’m a broke uni student so I wasn’t able to get much on short notice. I’m really glad we’ve started talking again. I could never say this to your face, but I definitely missed you these past few years. You were probably my closest friend in high school and I hope that we can grow to be just as close as before ̴o̴̴r̴̴ ̴̴e̴̴v̴̴e̴̴n̴̴ ̴̴c̴̴l̴̴o̴̴s̴̴e̴̴r̴.I’ll talk to you soon probably.  
From, Keiji Akaashi. _

Bokuto spread out the pile of photos. There were approximately 40 photos of Bokuto and Akaashi from their high school days. One of them studying for a test, one of them at the volleyball nationals, one of them hanging out with the rest of the team. Tears filled Bokuto’s eyes as he looked over all the photos. 

He couldn’t control his emotions. He felt angry at Akaashi for leaving him. He felt happy that Akaashi had given him such a meaningful present. He felt like crying because of all the memories the photos brought back. He threw open the door to his room, letting it slam against the wall. Grabbing a glass of water to deal with his headache, Kuroo gave him a peace sign from the couch. 

“I stayed in Oikawa and Daichi’s room last night. Thin walls,” Kuroo tapped the wall and Bokuto felt his face flush. 

“Like you and Kenma don’t-“ Kuroo cut off Bokuto by throwing a pillow at his face. It wasn’t the moaning that embarrassed Bokuto, but more the fact that they probably heard him yell Akaashi’s name. 

“That girl was cute,” Kuroo shrugged, relaxing on the couch and eating what seemed to be the last pudding cup. The last pudding cup that had Bokuto’s name on it. It said BOKUTO not KUROO. Bokuto grabbed the pudding cup from Kuroo and yelled at him. The two fought over the pudding cup until Bokuto finally managed to grab it from Kuroo, using “it was my birthday” as an excuse to keep it. 

Bokuto ate the pudding, sitting next to Kuroo as they flipped past channels on the tv. Kuroo tapped Bokuto on the shoulder, jarring him from his thoughts. 

“You’re late for class right now.” 

“sHIT!”


	6. That’s bougie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m going to class, Lev”  
> “You don’t have classes today, Akaashi.”  
> “I have history.”  
> “You’re in med school, you’re not taking history.”  
> “Well someone’s teaching it so I guess I’m gonna learn it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it’s been a while since the last chapter school has me fucked. definitely gonna be writing a lot over spring break, you can look forward to that

Akaashi was face down on his bed, head basically screaming into his pillow. Lev was sitting on his own bed, not entirely sure what was even going on with Akaashi. Akaashi felt stupid and Akaashi didn’t like feeling stupid. He wasn’t used to it. 

He couldn’t help but remember every detail about the previous night. Bokuto’s rough hands wrapped around his own. The curve of Bokuto’s side as they’d pressed together. Bokuto’s soft lips dancing around Akaashi’s. He’d smelt like flowers and sweat — a pretty strange combo that somehow worked. 

Akaashi felt his face flush at the memory and dug his head deeper into his pillow. The kiss had caught him off guard and he’d panicked. It wasn’t the fact that he was kissing Bokuto, it was the fact that _he_ was kissing _Bokuto._

He’d ran and now he felt too ashamed to even text Bokuto again. Akaashi had thought that he’d finally gotten over his crush on Bokuto, but now it all came rushing back. He’d managed to push those feelings back for his two years of high school with Bokuto, but now that Akaashi was finally over him, Bokuto was acting on it. 

Was he even really over him though? When he thought of Bokuto, he remembered the twinkle in his eyes. The brightness of his smile. The messy hair that stood up on end. And all Akaashi wanted was to kiss that stupid smile off his face. 

But he had run. Like a coward. Because he couldn’t get his head wrapped around his feelings. Because he felt like he needed to focus on school. Because Bokuto was just too damn good at kissing for Akaashi to think of anything else besides the feel of Bokuto’s lips on his. 

“Hey, Akaashi? Are you still breathing? You’ve been face down for ten minutes,” Lev poked the side of Akaashi’s face, crouching down beside him. Akaashi shoved Lev away. 

“I’m just regretting my life choices. I should get ready to go to class,” Akaashi groaned, slowly picking himself off of his bed. Swinging his legs over, he narrowly missed Lev’s face. 

“You don’t have classes today,” Lev stood up. Akaashi rubbed his eyes and picked up his phone, checking for any texts from Bokuto. None. He wasn’t surprised. If anything, he should’ve been the one texting Bokuto. 

“I have history,” Akaashi replied, grabbing his backpack and heading out the door. Lev grabbed his hand and pulled him back in the room. 

“You’re in med school, you’re not taking history!” Lev shouted, trying to drag Akaashi back in. Akaashi ripped his hand from Lev’s grasp and shrugged. 

“Well I’m sure someone’s teaching it right now so looks like I’ll get to learn it,” Akaashi walked out the door, just as calm as he always was. Lev stood silent for a few seconds before sighing. He wasn’t used to being the responsible one. 

Akaashi stepped out of the apartment and immediately regretted going outside without an umbrella. The sky crackled with thunder as rain poured down on him. Akaashi wasn’t usually so forgetful. 

He decided to head to the nearest café and grab a coffee, this ended up being the same plane he’d met up with Bokuto about a week ago. His hair was flattened across his face due to the rain and water soaked his sweater. Finally reaching the café, he quickly sat down and tried to dry himself off. 

He ordered a black coffee and waited at the table, pulling out his phone. He stared at his messages with Bokuto, debating on whether or not to text him. 

“AGKAAAAASHI!” a voice yelled out his name and there was only one person who said his name like that. Akaashi whipped his head up, finding Bokuto standing beside him. Bokuto pulled out a chair and sat down. 

“Hello, Bokuto,” Akaashi smiled, drinking his coffee. Bokuto returned the smile, looking as if he had completely forgotten about the previous night. Why was Akaashi so torn up about it when it looked like Bokuto didn’t even care? 

“About last night,” Bokuto trailed off, not bothering to finish his sentence. He looked at Akaashi expectantly, waiting for an answer. Akaashi let out a small sigh and tried to regroup his thoughts. 

“I’m really sorry about that, Bokuto. The thing is, I just panicked and my parents don’t want me to be in a relationship,” Akaashi explained, setting down his coffee mug and looking Bokuto in the eyes. Akaashi wasn’t one to ramble and he could get his explanation out in as few words as possible, even if it wasn’t entirely true. Bokuto’s smile seemed to fade for a second before returning, bigger than ever. 

“It’s fine ‘Kaashi. It was kinda a ‘in the moment’ thing. It didn’t mean anything,” Bokuto ran a hand through his silver hair. Akaashi wasn’t sure why that hurt so much. Why didn’t Bokuto care about that kiss? Akaashi felt even stupider, as if he shouldn’t care about that kiss.

“‘Kaashi?” Akaashi asked, smiling at the nickname. 

“Just thought I’d try something new,” Bokuto shrugged, picking up Akaashi’s coffee and taking a sip. He scrunched up his face at the bitterness and Akaashi laughed. Bokuto quickly picked up his own coffee, trying to drown the taste of the black coffee.

“Well, Bo, I think-” Akaashi tested out a new nickname, cut off by Bokuto. 

“Bo?” Bokuto repeated. 

“Thought I’d try something new too. I’ll be honest, I don’t like it. Bokuto feels more natural,” Akaashi explained, feeling the difference between Bo and Bokuto. Bokuto shrugged once more and smiled. Akaashi was happy just to hear Bokuto say his name. 

“Hey ‘Kaashi. My volleyball team is practicing today, do you wanna join us?” Bokuto asked, picking up his bag and standing up. Akaashi thought about it for a few moments. He didn’t play volleyball often anymore, only when Lev and Nishinoya forced him to. He wasn't sure he could compare with Bokuto’s skills anymore, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play with Bokuto again. He missed the days of Fukurodani volleyball and this was the closest he would get to that. 

“Sure, why not,” Akaashi grinned. Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s hand, dragging him out the door of the café. Akaashi followed along as Bokuto led him to a nearby gym. They reached the gym, somehow along the way, rather than Bokuto grabbing Akaashi’s arm, their hands had become intertwined. Bokuto’s calloused hands fit perfectly around Akaashi’s smaller hands and Akaashi savoured the warm feeling. 

“Hey guys! I brought someone to practice with us!” Bokuto yelled, pulling open the doors to the gym. A group of people quickly turned their heads to look. 

“Is that Akaashi?” one of them asked. He looked surprisingly like Kuroo and Akaashi wondered whether it really could be him, until he remembered that Bokuto had told him he was still friends with Kuroo. 

“Keiji Akaashi. I’m a setter,” Akaashi introduced himself, locking arms with Bokuto. Bokuto smiled at the contact and one of the dudes elbowed the other. 

“Bokuto’s trying to replace you, Oikawa,” he smiled. The dark haired boy, Oikawa apparently, scowled and walked towards Akaashi, holding out his hand. 

“You were the Fukurodani setter, right? I’m Tooru Oikawa, Aoba Johsai setter,” Oikawa shook his hand. Akaashi dug through his memory, remembering Oikawa as a proud setter who could bring the best out of every team. 

“Daichi Sawamura. We met at the party. I think I introduced myself as dadchi? Yeah, I was a little drunk,” Daichi waved and Akaashi waved back. Bokuto whispered that Daichi used to be part of the Karasuno team. 

“If you don’t remember me, I’m suing,” Kuroo laughed, pulling Akaashi in for a hug. Akaashi patted his back before putting on his best confused face. 

“I’m sorry, who are you again?” he asked with a deadpan look on his face. Kuroo places his hand over his heart as if he had been shot and they burst into laughter. Bokuto introduced the others on the team and Akaashi tried his best to remember their names. Oikawa split the teams, taking it personally that Bokuto had brought another setter. 

Now, Akaashi didn’t know much about the skill levels of each player, but the teams seemed pretty unfair. Oikawa’s team consisted of Kuroo, Daichi, and every tall person on the team, while Akaashi’s team was definitely on the shorter side with Bokuto being the tallest one on their side. Oikawa’s face was innocent and he smiled when Bokuto pointed out the height differences, stating that all of their starting members were on Oikawa’s team. Oikawa denied it, brushing a hand through his dark hair. 

The game commenced and Akaashi’s team began to lose. It wasn’t a vast difference, but Akaashi still felt his face flush whenever he messed up a set. He felt awkward, as if he wasn’t meant to be there. Every failed set reminded him of the difference in skill between the players and Akaashi felt like he should leave and give that poor setter on the bench a chance to play. 

But he couldn’t give up the feeling of setting to Bokuto. Everytime he sent a ball his way, he yelled out ‘Bokuto-san’ just like in high school and Akaashi wasn’t sure if he was imagining the red tinge on his cheeks. Bokuto hit every set Akaashi gave him without fail, even that one he had botched and sent way too far to the right. Akaashi’s skill had dropped, but Bokuto’s had clearly grown. It shocked Akaashi that Bokuto didn’t go into emo mode even once. Akaashi was staring at Bokuto when he didn’t start bawling after being blocked pretty badly and Kuroo walked up to him, hands up against the net. 

“Normally that would’ve caused emo mode. I think he’s trying to impress you,” Kuroo smirked, grabbing the net. Akaashi rolled his eyes. Surely Bokuto didn’t care that Akaashi was watching because Bokuto didn’t like him like that. Bokuto had told Akaashi himself, that kiss had been a spur of the moment decision. It didn’t mean anything and Bokuto clearly didn’t care about it. 

After the game, Akaashi’s team lost badly. It wasn’t that the members of his team were bad, hell no they weren’t. But Oikawa’s team was so stacked that even Bokuto and the others couldn’t pick up Akaashi’s slack 

“That was unfair, Oikawa,” Daichi told Oikawa as they gathered up their things to leave. Oikawa’s face was the picture of innocence, so unlike what was really going on with him. 

“At least I put Bokuto and Akaashi on the same team. You’re welcome, by the way,” Oikawa hissed that last part to Bokuto, his face instantly growing two shades darker. Akaashi felt as if he was intruding. Like this team was a close knit family that he wasn’t supposed to be part of. 

“Bokuto, I’m going to get going,” Akaashi said, walking towards the door. Bokuto jumped up at the sound and ran towards him, pulling him in for what seemed to be half a hug and half a cage to stop him from leaving. 

“What! Akaashi, don’t go yet! Come hang out with me!” Bokuto practically screamed into Akaashi’s ear. It wouldn’t hurt to go hang out with Bokuto, after all he wanted to talk to him more, didn’t he? 

Akaashi couldn’t tell if the burning feeling in his chest was from wanting to slap Bokuto or make out with him. 

“Fine, why not,” Akaashi sighed. Even the small agreement caused Bokuto to jump up and down, yelling in excitement. The group packed up their things and Akaashi left with Bokuto, Kuroo, Oikawa, and Daichi. 

“So Akaashi, what you been up to?” Kuroo asked, slinging an arm around Akaashi’s shoulders. Akaashi wasn’t sure if he was imagining the small glare Bokuto gave Kuroo. 

“I’m in med school,” Akaashi told them as they walked across the street. Akaashi wasn’t sure where they were going, he was simply following the crowd. Oikawa’s eyes lit up and he ran up to Akaashi. Oikawa began to rave about how his teachers had told him to be a doctor since he had the grades, but volleyball had always been the one thing he wanted to do. 

“We get it, Oikawa, you’re a slut for volleyball,” Kuroo smacked the back of Oikawa’s head before Akaashi stopped in the middle of the road. 

“Stop,” he announced, pulling out his phone. His eyes were caught on Bokuto, who immediately froze in place at Akaashi’s words. His hair was slicked back with sweat and the sun hit him at just the right angle to be shiny but not too shiny. He seemed to glow in the light and Akaashi knew that this was a moment he needed to photograph. 

Akaashi knelt down, snapping a picture from below and then getting one from above. He could hear Daichi, Kuroo, and Oikawa whispering behind him. Whispering about what he was doing and why, but Akaashi couldn’t care less. Because in this moment, the only thing he saw was Bokuto’s gleaming figure as he tried to figure out the perfect angle to capture it. Standing up after a few photos, he smiled at Bokuto, who looked at him just as surprised as he was before. 

“Sorry. The lighting was perfect and inspiration struck,” Akaashi shrugged, quickly moving along. Kuroo sent Bokuto a confused glance and Bokuto returned it, shrugging and then running up to talk to Akaashi. 

The group walked together towards what Akaashi assumed was a bar. The outside was nothing special, but it had something about it that made Akaashi want to take hundreds of pictures. Going inside, Akaashi admires the interior. The bar itself was made of sleek wood and the booths had thick cushions that looked like you could sit on them for days. 

“Welcome to- fuck not you fuckers again. Get out of my bar,” the man behind the counter growled, running a hand through his hair, “not you Daichi, you’re an angel and I’m glad you’re here.” 

“Last I checked this isn’t your bar,” Oikawa smiled, sitting down at the bar and reaching a hand over to pinch the bartender’s cheek. The bartender slapped his hand away. 

“I’m here more often than the owners are, it’s basically mine. Uni is expensive y’know,” he sighed, grabbing a couple of glasses. He seemed to know exactly what each person would order as his eyes darted across the group. He stopped when he noticed Akaashi, narrowing his eyes. 

“Keiji Akaashi,” Akaashi held out his hand and shook the bartender's hand. He smiled and twirled a lock of his silver hair. 

“Koushi Sugawara, but feel free to call me Suga. What can I get you, Akaashi?” Sugawara asked, pointing a hand at the various alcohols one the shelf behind him. Akaashi thought for a moment before deciding on getting what he usually got. 

“A glass of red wine, please. Cabernet,” Akaashi dragged a finger along the smooth dark wood of the counter, following the intricate patterns. 

“Red wine? Are you kidding me? So bougie,” Kuroo bent over in laughter, smacking the table with his fist. Akaashi rolled his eyes and Kuroo earned himself a smack to the head from Sugawara. 

“We don’t judge the customers' alcohol choices. Even if it is bougie as fuck,” Sugawara held a hand against his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter. Sugawara made their drinks quickly, passing them over one by one. He stopped to give Daichi a kiss on the cheek, earning disgruntled “ewww”s from the others. 

Akaashi sipped the wine slowly, spinning it around in the glass. He knew it was early and he shouldn’t drink too much, but he had too much on his mind. He picked up the glass once more and downed it as quickly as he could. The group, including Sugawara, let out cheers as Akaashi wiped his lips. He slid the glass over to Sugawara. 

“Suga, get me something stronger.”


	7. Alexander Hamilton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That’s gay.”  
> “You’re gay.”  
> “That I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is sO bad i’m so sOrry literally nothing happens and the stuff that does happen is so bad. next chapter may or may not be better no promises

Only half an hour later, Akaashi was sitting at the bar, head spinning as he struggled to even walk. After his single glass of wine, Suga had made him shot after shot after shot and Akaashi was feeling more than just slightly drunk. He knew he would regret this the next morning, but for now, the only thing he could focus on was getting more alcohol into his body. 

Bokuto was next to him, slightly drunk but definitely not as drunk as Akaashi. Daichi was still relatively sober, although Suga was trying to convince him to drink some more. Daichi, being the responsible one, refused and claimed that he was the designated driver. Oikawa and Kuroo were absolutely helpless. Not only did they both have enough alcohol in them to feed a small country, but they were currently doing karaoke. 

With no music. 

Just standing in the middle of the bar, screaming some song that Akaashi didn’t recognize, with absolutely zero background music. Akaashi could’ve sworn he saw Suga whisper a small thank you that the bar was so empty. 

_“Let’s get down to business, to defeat the Huns!”_ Akaashi recognized those words as soon as they left Oikawa’s mouth. Kuroo began to grumble about singing a Disney song, but after a slap from Oikawa, begrudgingly began to sing along. 

_“Did they send me daughters, when I asked for sons?”_ Kuroo belted out, trying to steal the attention from Oikawa. They pushed each other out of the way, both trying to be in the center. 

_“You’re the saddest bunch I ever met!”_ Bokuto chimed in, jumping on top of a nearby table. Suga yelled at him to get down, but Bokuto ignored him, opting to dance on the table instead. Suga sighed and mumbled something about having to do a lot of cleaning tonight. 

_“But you can bet before we’re through,”_ the three sang in unison and it took Akaashi only a few seconds to decide that he was definitely drunk enough to participate. 

_“Mister, I’ll make a man out of you,”_ Akaashi quietly sang, still sitting at the bar. Bokuto’s eyes widened as he ran towards Akaashi. Looping an arm around his shoulders, Bokuto sang the next line into his ear. 

_“Tranquil as a forest but on fire within,”_ Akaashi smiled at the close physical contact. At this point, Daichi loaded up the song on his phone and played it in the background as they sang. The four of them continued to sing and Akaashi even joined in their dance, swinging around the bar in drunken harmony. 

“Everyone put your hands up!” A voice yelled from outside the bar, bursting through the door. Suga dropped a glass and Bokuto let out a high pitched yelp before diving to the floor and hiding beneath a table. 

“I’m too pretty to die!” Oikawa screamed, holding his hands high up in the air. The man who had just entered started laughing, followed by two others. 

“Hanamaki what in the actual fuck!” Suga yelled, grabbing the nearest object to throw it at him. Unluckily for Hanamaki, that was an empty shot glass and Hanamaki barely managed to dodge it by ducking beneath it. 

“Why’d you get so scared? Are you actually doing something illegal?” Matsukawa asked, sliding into the bar and immediately grabbing the nearest glass. Suga snatched it from him and started making him a glass of the usual. 

“I’m a broke uni student, do you think I’m not doing something illegal?” Suga asked as he poured the drinks. Matsukawa shrugged and grabbed the drink. 

“S’it cool if I invite Kenma?” Kuroo slurred, draping his body across the sleek wooden bar. Kuroo didn't even wait for an answer before pulling out his phone and calling Kenma. 

“What the fuck makes you think I would want to come to a bar?” Kenma’s voice asked over the phone. Kuroo was on speaker for some strange reason, as if he was expecting someone else to try and convince Kenma to come. 

“Pleeeeeeeease! You can meet with Akaashi!” Kuroo whined, banging on the table. Kenma sighed and hung up. Kuroo let out a cheer because apparently that meant he was coming, although Akaashi didn’t see how him hanging up was a good thing. 

“I’m gonna invite Tsukishima, Lev, and Noya!” Akaashi cheered, pulling out his phone. Bokuto stumbled over to him and wrapped his arms around Akaashi’s shoulders. Akaashi tried to shrug him off, but Bokuto just gripped tighter. Akaashi didn’t say much over the phone, knowing that just mentioning he was at a bar was enough to get Lev and Nishinoya to come and they would most likely drag Tsukishima with them. 

About 3 shots later, Tsukishima, Nishinoya, Lev, and Kenma appeared. Nishinoya ran to the bar, immediately ordering drinks, followed by Lev. Tsukishima, who saw that Akaashi was drunk, reluctantly sat down and refused any alcohol. Kenma made a beeline to an empty booth and pulled out his switch, avoiding conversation with everyone. 

“Tsukkipoopoo!” Kuroo yelled, throwing an arm around Tsukishima and placing a sloppy kiss on his cheek. 

“That’s gay,” Bokuto laughed, draping his arm around Tsukishima’s other side. 

“You’re gay,” Kuroo countered, climbing over Tsukishima’s lap to poke Bokuto in the arm. 

“That I am,” Bokuto finished with a laugh. Akaashi felt the small cracks in his heart begin to mend at those words. Bokuto had already kissed him, so why was it so relieving to hear Bokuto say he was gay. Because it cleared up any thoughts that Bokuto had really just been caught up in the moment and would never date Akaashi? 

But even if Bokuto wasn’t straight, he’d told Akaashi himself that he didn’t like him like that. Well, he hadn’t said it outright, but he’d implied it. 

Akaashi stood up, slamming his hands on the counter. Suga winced at the sound and promptly grabbed Akaashi’s empty glass, replacing it with a full one. 

“I wanna sing,” Akaashi announced to no one in particular. He walked to the middle of the bar, tripping over a chair on his way. Bokuto cheered as Akaashi slowly climbed onto a table. He gripped the edges, trying to pull himself up. 

_“How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman,”_ There was no background music as Akaashi sang, only his voice echoing throughout the bar. 

“Akaashi is singing! My heart is gonna burst,” Bokuto whispered to Kuroo who nodded in agreement. 

_“Dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished in squalor,”_ Hamilton was probably Akaashi’s favourite musical, closely tied with Dear Evan Hansen. Despite the musical being about Hamilton, Akaashi felt himself relate to Aaron Burr more. Always trying his hardest to get what he wanted, but always short of his goal because he couldn’t find the courage to go for his dreams. 

He also had his life ruined by a loud-mouthed idiot just like how Aaron Burr’s life was ruined by Hamilton, since now his every thought was stolen by Bokuto. 

_“Grow up to be a hero and a scholar?”_ Akaashi did a small dance on top of the table. 

“Get it Akaashi!” Nishinoya yelled from where he was slumped on the floor. 

_“The ten-dollar! Founding father without a father!”_ Akaashi felt his vision get blurry as his balance got worse. His foot teetered dangerously close to the edge and he laughed as the ground grew closer. 

Then, he was in Bokuto’s arms. Strong arms wrapped around Akaashi’s chest and Akaashi buried his head into the crook of the neck of the person who was holding him. He smelled flowers and something reminiscent of pine. 

“Woah Akaashi, are you alright?” Bokuto’s warm voice asked. Akaashi sighed and hugged Bokuto, pulling him in close. 

“Carry me, my prince,” Akaaashi whispered, savouring every moment of being pressed up against Bokuto. Bokuto was warm and safe. Akaashi wanted nothing more than to stay like this, wrapped up in his arms. 

“You wanna use one of the rooms upstairs and let him sleep it off a little?” Suga asked, grabbing a small silver key and tossing it over to Bokuto. The bar Suga worked at doubled as an inn, with rooms upstairs. Currently only two of the rooms were taken, so Suga had rooms to spare to let Akaashi sleep off his drunken state. Bokuto picked up Akaashi and Akaashi wrapped his arms around Bokuto’s neck. 

“Woo! Get laid, Brokuto!” Kuroo yelled out, using the nickname he had decided to assign Bokuto right that second. Bokuto threw him a middle finger and walked off. Akaashi noticed Kenma smacking Kuroo from the corner of his eye. 

Bokuto carried Akaashi up the stairs as Akaashi ran his hands through Bokuto’s silver hair. Bokuto dropped him onto the bed and Akaashi rolled over, almost immediately falling asleep. Bokuto sat by his side until he heard Akaashi’s gentle snoring, then he joined his friends downstairs. 

Akaashi woke up about an hour later. He stared up at the ceiling, letting his thoughts consume him. It had been nearly two months since he had gotten so drunk. He barely even remembered what he had been doing for the past couple of hours. He vaguely remembered Kuroo and Oikawa singing, but then his memory got foggy. His face flushed at the faint memory of singing _Alexander Hamilton_ on top of a table. 

Then he remembered Bokuto catching him. That warm presence had held him tight and Akaashi tried to hold onto that feeling of being in Bokuto’s arms. Then, he suddenly felt a warm hand grip his own. His head whirled to the side, coming face to face with the same white haired man he had been thinking off previously. 

“Oh, Akaashi! I thought you were asleep! How are you feeling?” Bokuto’s smile covered nearly his whole face and Akaashi couldn’t help but feel happy just at the sight of that huge smile. 

“My head is pounding and this hangover is pretty bad. At least I’m not drunk anymore,” Akaashi shrugged. Bokuto filled a glass of water and passed it over. Akaashi gulped it down, immediately feeling the cool water ease his headache a little. 

“I should head back down. I just wanted to come check on you. Feel free to come down again if you’re ready! I’ll tell Suga not to make you any more drinks,” Bokuto laughed, walking off to the door. 

“No, stay,” Akaashi whispered, grabbing Bokuto’s hand and linking their fingers together. Bokuto froze in place before turning to look at Akaashi. 

“The guys are waiting for me to come back,” Bokuto rubbed the back of his neck and tried to pull his hand away. Akaashi held tight, fingers intertwined with Bokuto’s. 

“No. Do you know how long I’ve waited to build up the courage for this. I fucking ran out when you kissed me because I was such a coward, but it doesn’t really matter does it? You said the kiss didn’t mean anything right? So why am I so torn up about it? Why do you make me feel this way, Bokuto? I don’t like it. I just want to be in control again. I hate this. I hate it so much,” Akaashi’s eyes pricked with tears. Akaashi didn’t know why it was all coming up now. Maybe he was still slightly drunk. Bokuto was frozen, unable to process what was going on. 

“Akaashi, what are you talking about?” Bokuto asked, taking a step towards Akaashi. He wiped Akaashi’s tears with his sleeve, but Akaashi pushed his arm away.

“This is what I mean! Nothing is serious to you! I bet you went and slept with some random girl after we kissed because I don’t mean anything to you, do I? And I can’t stop myself from loving you. I can’t control my feelings. I just want to go and yell that I love you and I’ve never felt so fucking useless. Not when I was forced into med school and not when I gave up my dreams. I’ve always had my pride, but you took that away from me too,” Akaashi sat up on the bed. His head was still pounding, but he pushed that aside. 

“That’s not what I meant. At least I wasn’t the one to run away,” Bokuto spat back, that huge smile gone. 

“I ran because I was scared of my love for you. Because I could never imagine someone like you loving someone like me,” Akaashi responded, standing up and pressing his fingers into Bokuto’s chest. Bokuto’s face was red and twisted with anger, matching with Akaashi’s. 

“Well, maybe you’re right! Maybe I can’t love someone like you. Someone who can’t even do what he wants. Someone who does whatever his parents want and doesn’t even have the fucking courage to go for their dreams,” Bokuto yelled, grabbing the front of Akaashi’s shirt, pulling him in close. Akaashi’s eyes widened at the words and his gunmetal eyes filled with tears, spilling over the edges. 

“All right, if that’s how you feel. I’m glad you told me,” Akaashi whispered back, pulling himself away from Bokuto and sprinting for the door. 

“Wait, Akaashi, I didn’t mean it!” Bokuto yelled after him, chasing him down the stairs. By the time he reached the bottom, Akaashi was already out the door, followed by Nishinoya, Tsukishima, and Lev. 

“Woah, bro, what happened? Was Akaashi crying?” Kuroo asked, wrapping an arm around Bokuto’s shoulders. Bokuto’s golden eyes brimmed with tears as he leaned into Kuroo’s embrace. 

“I think I ruined everything, bro.”


	8. Don’t make me repeat myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Akaashi’s really pretty too. Like hella pretty. Maybe even out of your league.”  
> “Bruh.”  
> “I’m sorry that I’m a flaming homosexual and I can appreciate a pretty man when I see one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first off: TW: sexual harassment and assault! It happens after the first break and there’s a break after it ends so you can skip that section
> 
> Second: the majority of this was written between the time period of 2 am - 4 am over like a week so the grammar is not my best i apologize in advance 😔😔

“Okay, so what happened?” Oikawa asked, arm around Bokuto. Kuroo was sitting on the other side of Bokuto while Daichi sat across from them. It was currently nearly 3 am, but Bokuto couldn’t go to sleep. Not after what had happened. 

“Akaashi said that he loved me and that he couldn’t imagine me liking him back and then I told him that I couldn’t love him if he kept being such a coward and not following his dreams,” Bokuto managed to squeeze out in between choked sobs. He regretted it. So much. He wanted to go back and tell Akaashi he was sorry. 

“Ouch,” Oikawa whispered, earning a smack to the head from Daichi. 

“You just need to talk to him and explain yourself,” Daichi told him, grabbing Bokuto’s hand and gently stroking it. Bokuto bit back a sob.

“That’s the thing, Daichi. I know I should’ve phrased it differently, but I do believe the things I said. I love Akaashi. I love him so much, but until he is able to love himself and do what he wants in life, I can’t be with him. Because he’s still figuring out himself and I’m just adding more pressure onto that,” Bokuto sighed, wiping his eyes with sleeves. Kuroo stared at him, eyes wide. 

“Woah bro, I think that’s the smartest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Kuroo gave Bokuto a small punch on the arm and Daichi shot him a glare. 

“Both you and Oikawa are shit at advice,” Bokuto laughed, finally showing a smile. 

“You need to tell him that. Tell him exactly what you just told me and don’t sugarcoat it. Akaashi’s a smart guy, he’ll understand,” Daichi smiled.

“Yeah! Akaashi was like a genius in high school. Y’know, you’re kinda stupid, Bokuto,” Kuroo added, earning yet another glare from Daichi. 

“Akaashi’s really pretty too. Like, hella pretty. Maybe even out of your league,” Oikawa looked up at the ceiling, as if imagining Akaashi. 

“Bruh,” Bokuto stared at him and when Oikawa didn’t respond, he threw a pillow at him. It hit him square in the nose and Oikawa rubbed his face. 

“I’m sorry that I am a flaming homosexual and I can appreciate a pretty man when I see one.” 

Akaashi wandered through the park, feeling the light rain trickle down his back. His hair was pressed against his forehead and he wasn’t sure it was rain or tears that was making his face wet. All he knew was that he needed to be alone. 

Bokuto was right. Akaashi was miserable right now and he wasn’t doing anything to change it. But what could he do? If he were to quit med school, he wouldn’t have his parents support any longer. Photography didn’t pay the bills. 

The air was cool, pushing past his face as he continued walking down the street. He wasn’t sure where he was going, only that he was going. He’d split up with Tsukishima, Lev, and Noya as soon as they’d gotten back to their apartment. 

“Hey pretty boy! You alone? Looking for some company?” a voice yelled out at him. Akaashi didn’t bother looking back and continued walking forward. 

“Hey, we’re talking to you. Don’t ignore us, you son of a bitch,” another man’s voice called out. Akaashi tried to ignore them, but turned around when he heard footsteps close behind him. 

“Just because you’re pretty doesn’t mean you’re too good for us, y’know,” the first man slurred, placing a hand on Akaashi’s shoulder. Akaashi froze for a second, fear kicking in as he realized the situation he was in. He was alone and his friends didn’t know where he was. As adrenaline began to pump through his body, Akaashi raised his leg and kicked the man holding him in the balls. He let go and Akaashi ran as fast as he could. 

Reaching an empty alley, Akaashi stopped to breathe. The rain was steadily growing heavier and the only thing Akaashi could heat was the wet thus of rain hitting the ground. His face was wet with tears and his clothes were dripping. He could hear footsteps coming towards him and he quickly dialed 911. He managed to give them his location before the two men from earlier appeared in front of him. 

“Aw, y’know that hurt like a bitch. Wasn’t very nice of you, now was it?” one of them smiled, walking up to Akaashi and pinning him against the wall. Akaashi wasn’t sure what to do. If he attacked, the other man would get him, but if he didn’t do anything then it would probably be worse. He was frozen, unable to process what was going on. 

“Don’t worry, pretty boy, we’ll treat you real good,” the other laughed, placing a hand under Akaashi’s chin and lifting his head up. 

All Akaashi could do was pray that the police would make it in time. 

Bokuto wasn’t sure why he had decided to go to Akaashi’s apartment at almost 4 am when he could’ve waited for the next day, but he was prone to making bad decisions so he wasn’t all too surprised. 

“Akaashi isn’t home,” Tsukishima promptly shut the door when he saw Bokuto. Bokuto pounded on the door some more before Tsukishima pulled it open once more. 

“Can I wait for him? It’s important and it’s raining,” Bokuto scratched the back of his neck as Tsukishima sighed. 

“It’s just a light drizzle,” Tsukishima smiled, slowly closing the door again. Bokuto held a hand out and pried it open. 

“It’s already starting to get heavier,” Bokuto pointed out, the sound of the rain crashing against the windows audible from inside the apartment. 

“Oh c’mon, Tsukki, just let him in,” Nishinoya yelled from where he was sitting on the couch. Tsukishima sighed and pulled open the door. Bokuto stepped in, dripping slightly onto the carpet. 

Lev and Nishinoya were watching a movie, draped across each other on the couch. Tsukishima had apparently been part of it until he’d gotten up to open the door. Bokuto sat down next to the boys as Tsukishima began to walk back to his room. 

“Alright I should head to bed,” Tsukishima walked off, only to be cut off by a tv remote whisking past his head. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Lev asked, apparently having been the one to have thrown the tv remote. Tsukishima stopped and looked at the three of them, pushing his glasses up. 

“I’d rather not talk to the guy who broke Akaashi’s heart,” Tsukishima scoffed before moving to walk away. Bokuto scrambled up and grabbed Tsukishima’s hand. He knew this was going to happen. He was surprised that Lev and Nishinoya had actually let him into the apartment. 

“No wait, Tsukki, it’s a misunderstanding,” Bokuto tried to explain himself before Lev’s eyes widened. 

“You’re the reason Akaashi was crying?” Lev asked, immediately standing up and shooting Bokuto a disgusted look. Bokuto opened his mouth to try and defend himself, but he knew that they were right. That it was his fault. 

“Obviously. Akaashi mentions a guy and runs away crying and then this guy shows up wanting to talk to Akaashi. Even an idiot could put that together,” Tsukishima scoffed.

“FUCKING LET ME AT HIM! WHAT DID YOU SAY TO AKAASHI!” Nishinoya roared as Lev grabbed him and tried to hold him back. Nishinoya ripped at Lev’s arms, trying to break free of his grasp so he could attack Bokuto. 

“It’s a misunderstanding! I said some things I regret and I just need to talk to Akaashi,” Bokuto tried to explain himself, but it was useless. The guys were Akaashi’s friends and they would have his back no matter what. 

“Misunderstanding my ass. Akaashi doesn't cry. I’ve never seen him cry until now. Not when he was forced into med school. Not when his parents made him break up with his boyfriend. Not when he broke his arm. And somehow, you’ve made him cry hard enough to not even tell us where he’s going. Fuck, he could be dead right now and we wouldn’t even know because that’s how Akaashi does things. He keeps his problems inside and god, I think you may have been the catalyst to push him over the edge,” Tsukishima’s voice rose to a yell and Bokuto had no words for him. Because Bokuto knew everything he was saying was true. 

Akaashi hated bothering other people and so he would deal with his issues all by himself. It wasn’t healthy, but Bokuto knew that Akaashi didn’t care. Back in high school, Akaashi had suffered from depression and Bokuto had been one of the few people to know. He wondered if Akaashi was still in that same dark mindset. 

He knew how strong Akaashi was just for waking up every morning and doing what he could. Akaashi could power through anything and he was strong, so why did Bokuto feel so uneasy that no one knew where Akaashi was right now. 

Just then, Tsukishima’s phone began to ring. He grumbled something about who would be calling at 4 in the morning but picked up anyway. He mumbled a hello and waited for a few seconds. 

“Yes this is Kei Tsukishima,” Tsukishima nodded, pacing slightly across the room. Bokuto fidgeted, unsure of whether he should wait for Tsukishima to finish his call to speak or if he should just say something to Nishinoya and Lev now. 

“Excuse me he’s what?” Tsukishima yelled, eyes widening. Bokuto looked at him and then back at the two other boys who shrugged in response. “I understand, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” 

“What happened?” Lev asked, arms still wrapped tight around Nishinoya. Tsukishima let out a shaky breath and took off his glasses, wiping them on the hem of his shirt. 

“Akaashi’s at the police station right now,” Tsukishima sighed, grabbing his jacket and shoes. Lev dropped Nishinoya and Bokuto froze. 

“What?!” Bokuto yelled, still frozen in place. Something had happened to Akaashi and it was his fault. If he hadn’t made Akaashi run away. If he’d just phrased himself different. Akaashi wouldn’t be in this situation. 

“I said that Akaashi’s at the police station right now,” Tsukishima repeated, throwing Nishinoya and Lev their jackets. 

“No I heard you the first time, I just-” Bokuto grabbed his own belongings and prepared to follow them out.

“Don’t make me repeat myself then,” Tsukishima huffed, closing the apartment door on Bokuto’s face. Bokuto followed them anyway and Tsukishima reluctantly let him in their car to go see Akaashi. The drive was silent, with Tsukishima staring straightforward at the road and both Lev and Nishinoya glaring daggers at Bokuto. Bokuto knew he deserved their glares, so he ignored them and sent a text to Daichi, letting him know what was going on.

When they reached the station, they found Akaashi sitting alone, knees pulled up to his chest and his beautiful face marred by a black eye. His clothes were ripped and his arms were covered in scratches and bruises. The scariest part of the whole situation wasn’t Akaashi’s physical state, but the look on his face. 

He was looking straight ahead and his eyes were blank, as if he was staring at nothing and everything at the same time. His mouth was locked into a frown and his eyes were red and puffy, but there was not a tear in sight. He gripped his knees tight, a small blanket discarded on the floor underneath his chair. 

“Keiji!” Nishinoya yelled, running towards Akaashi. Nishinoya wrapped his arms around Akaashi in a hug. Akaashi’s eyes widened at the sudden touch. 

“Don’t touch me!” He yelled, pushing Nishinoya off. His dark eyes filled with tears as he began to tremble, pulling his knees up even closer to his chest. Nishinoya quickly backed off, stepping back. 

“What the fuck happened to him?” Bokuto demanded, slamming his hands on the table. Akaashi flinched at the sound and Tsukishima placed a hand on Bokuto’s back, signaling him to shut up. Bokuto stepped back and the police officer behind the counter cracked their knuckles, not the slightest bit shocked by Bokuto’s outburst. 

“He was assaulted by two men when he was walking alone. Thankfully, we managed to make it before anything major happened and we caught the perps,” the officer explained, looking back at Akaashi as she spoke. 

“Before anything major happened? Bullshit! Look at him, he’s traumatized! And why the fuck isn’t he in a hospital right now?” Bokuto yelled, getting into the officer’s face. She politely pushed Bokuto backward and sighed. 

“Sir, we did the best we could and it takes time to get to the area where we got the call. He refused to be taken to a hospital. He kept repeating that he didn’t want _them_ to find out. His injuries aren’t major so he shouldn’t require urgent care. He just needs rest, lots of it,” the officer told them, passing a couple of papers to Tsukishima. 

“His mom works at the hospital near here, that’s why he didn’t want to go. I’ll take care of him,” Tsukishima told the lady as he filled out the paperwork. Bokuto clenched his fist at his side. It didn’t feel right that Akaashi had been assaulted and the most the police could do was send him home and say he needed rest? He knew they were trying their best. That it wasn’t their fault. But he couldn’t stay calm, not when he could see the broken look on Akaashi’s face. 

“Can I see the guys who did this to him?” Bokuto was angry to say the least. He was furious. He wanted justice. He wanted to see those two men suffer for making Akaashi go through this. 

“I’m sorry sir, we can’t let you do that,” the officer wore a forced smile, clearly used to dealing with people like him, but at that moment, Bokuto didn’t care. 

“Bullshit, let me see them,” Bokuto repeated. He looked back at Akaashi again, who looked as if he had slightly snapped back into reality. His eyes focused and he seemed to be staring at Bokuto. 

No. He wasn’t staring at Bokuto. He was staring through Bokuto. Unable to focus on one person, he chose to focus on none. 

“No, Bokuto, stop. Let’s go home,” Akaashi mumbled, voice barely audible. Had there been anyone speaking, they wouldn’t have heard. But Bokuto was so focused on Akaashi, that even those small words shook him to the core. He felt his fingers shake slightly and it took all of his willpower not to yell Akaashi’s name. 

Akaashi stood up and walked towards the door, quickly followed by Lev and Nishinoya who felt the need to protect him. Tsukishima passed the paperwork over to the officer and then ran after Akaashi. Bokuto walked to join the group. As they all loaded into the car, Tsukishima stopped him with an arm. 

“I think you should go home, Bokuto,” Tsukishima told him, pushing him away from the car. 

“But-” Bokuto wanted to argue. To ask Tsukishima to go with them. To talk to Akaashi. He wanted to hug Akaashi and tell him that it was all going to be okay, even if it wasn’t. 

“Go home, Bokuto. As you can obviously tell, it is not the right time to talk to Akaashi. You can see him later, just, fuck, can you go away?” Tsukishima lifted up his glasses and rubbed at his eyes, trying to hide any tears that might fall out. Bokuto stepped back and nodded silently, heading off to his own apartment as the rain fell down onto his head. 

There was so much about this night he would regret. He just wanted it all to be okay again. 

_God, can’t it all just be okay like it used to be._


	9. Black coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I do not type like a middle aged woman.”  
> “I dunno, Akaashi, you’re all mature and smart. I feel like you would text like a middle aged woman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter did nOt turn out how i wanted it to. ugh but whatever lol. alsoOoO shameless self promotion! i wrote a one shot about iwaoi and it would mean a lot if you guys could check it out! you can find it here!  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/23468965  
> ty ily !!

Bokuto waited at the cafe where he and Akaashi used to meet. The cafe was the same, but the atmosphere was somehow different. As if he wasn’t meant to be there without Akaashi. 

He sat alone, drinking a coffee with plenty of cream and sugar. Along with his own drink was a black coffee, sitting in front of him untouched. He had instinctively ordered it before remembering that Akaashi wasn’t with him. He pulled out his phone, checking for any messages from Akaashi. 

None. 

So he decided to take matters into his own hands and text Akaashi himself. After all, they were friends. And friends were allowed to text each other, right? 

_Bokuto: AKAASHI!  
Bokuto: how are you???  
Bokuto: if you wanna talk about anything i’m here for you!!!! :))) _

Barely a minute after he’d sent the messages, they appeared to be read. But no replies came. Not a single text nor a phone call. Bokuto had been left on seen. 

And he didn’t blame Akaashi for it. After all, he had been through something so frightening and he was probably traumatized, but Bokuto couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit disappointed that Akaashi hadn’t responded. He just wanted to hold Akaashi and tell him that it was all going to be okay again, even if it wasn’t. He was debating texting Lev, just to try and talk to Akaashi. But he knew Tsukishima probably wouldn’t let him. 

It had been six days since the incident and everyday since it had happened, Bokuto had shown up at the door of Akaashi’s apartment, only to be greeted by Tsukishima who would promptly shut the door on his face. Everytime he had come close to seeing Akaashi, Tsukishima had been there to stop it. 

He understood that Tsukishima was Akaashi’s friend and he understood why Tsukishima probably didn’t want him to see Akaashi, considering Bokuto was technically the catalyst that had led to this. Bokuto wasn’t entirely sure what catalyst meant, but Tsukishima had used it before and it seemed to fit the situation. Even though he knew it was his fault, he still wanted to see Akaashi and talk to him. 

And that made him feel guilty. 

He was selfish. Selfish for only caring about seeing Akaashi when he was clearly hurting. Selfish because even though it was his fault that Akaashi had gotten hurt, he was still insisting on talking to him. If he hadn’t yelled at Akaashi, then he wouldn’t have walked off alone and he wouldn’t have gotten assaulted. He should’ve done something different. 

Bokuto pushed out his chair and stood up. He grabbed his empty cup along with the black coffee and walked to the exit, dropping them in the garbage. He hung onto the black coffee for a second, debating if he should just bring it home and someone could take it. He didn’t want to waste a full coffee. As he stood by the exit thinking, his phone vibrated. Panic set in because all Bokuto could think was _what if it was Akaashi._

_Akaashi: Hello, Bokuto._  
Akaashi: Would you like to come over?  
Bokuto: yeah ofc!!!!!! ill be there soon!!!!!! 

Bokuto’s heart stopped as he typed out the message. He wondered if he was being too forward or too excited, but he really didn’t care. Because Akaashi was texting him and Akaashi wanted him to come over! But there was something different about Akaashi. Yes, he was always formal, but he never typed with proper punctuation or capital letters before. It was as if someone else was texting for him, trying to pretend to be him. 

But Bokuto didn’t mind because Akaashi wanted to see him!

Picking up the black coffee he had ordered for Akaashi, he left the cafe. Humming a small song as he walked, he cheerfully skipped to Akaashi’s apartment, knocking on the door to reveal a more than just disgruntled Tsukishima. His mouth was etched into a scowl and something about the look in his eyes told Bokuto that he really didn’t want him to be here. He didn’t say a word, only opened the door and sat back down. 

Akaashi was sitting on the couch, trying to grab his phone from Nishinoya. Lev was on the other side, fully committed to watching the movie that neither Akaashi nor Nishinoya were watching. Nishinoya was trying to type something on Akaashi’s phone while Akaashi tried to pull it away. Even though Nishinoya and Akaashi were trying to grab something from each other, Bokuto noted how both Nishinoya and Lev stayed away from Akaashi. Lev was on the other side of the couch while Nishinoya was careful not to touch Akaashi, his fingers wrapped around the phone in places where Akaashi’s fingers weren’t. 

“I do not type like a middle aged woman,” Akaashi scoffed, finally yanking his phone from Nishinoya’s hands. Nishinoya huffed quietly and sat down next to Akaashi, making sure to leave space between them. 

“I dunno, Akaashi, you’re all mature and smart. I feel like you would text like a middle aged woman,” Nishinoya pointed out, waving his hands wildly as he spoke. Akaashi laughed as he read over the messages, apparently not having noticed Bokuto yet. So it had been Nishinoya who had texted him. 

“Hey hey hey, Akaashi!” Bokuto yelled, slightly quieter than his usual tone so he wouldn’t scare Akaashi. Akaashi’s head whipped to the side as he noticed Bokuto standing there. His face immediately flushed red, mouth turning into a small smile. 

“Hey, Bokuto! It’s good to see you,” Akaashi said quietly, looking down at the ground as if the black carpet was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen and Bokuto really doubted that it was considering it was just a plain black rug. 

“Yeah, it’s good to see you too!” Bokuto was trying to keep his voice down, but by the look on Tsukishima’s face, he was still far too loud. 

“Would you like to talk in private?” Akaashi asked after a few moments of awkward silence. 

“Yes! Of course!” Bokuto yelled, not controlling his voice any longer. Akaashi silently stood up and practically gilded into another room. Bokuto followed, tripping over two chairs, a tv remote, and a stack of pillows on the ground. Akaashi closed the door and Bokuto used the opportunity to scan the room. 

From what he saw, he could tell this was probably Akaashi’s bedroom that he shared with someone else, evident by the two beds. One side was neat and organized, everything put into its place while the other looked almost as bad as Bokuto’s own room did. There was a wooden desk, more books stacked on top of it than Bokuto had ever seen. But that wasn’t what caught his eye. 

Across one wall there were hundreds of photos taped across the wall. Okay, maybe hundreds was a bit of an exaggeration, but there were a lot of them. The wall was decorated with strings separating the photos and Bokuto scanned the wall, finding a section of photos of him. Among them was the photo that Akaashi had taken when they’d gone to the bar on the day that the incident had occurred. Bokuto’s heart ached at the small hearts decorating the photos. 

In another corner of the room was a violin, sitting next to a small keyboard. They looked abandoned, as if Akaashi hadn’t used them in a while. Bokuto remembered when Akaashi had used to play for him back in high school. It had been his parents' idea to learn, but Akaashi had enjoyed both violin and piano. Bokuto had accompanied him to practically all of his competitions. Akaashi had always been so busy in high school. He had volleyball, music competitions, college prep, and about a dozen other activities his parents had put him through in order to “prepare him for the future.” 

Akaashi gestured to his bed and Bokuto sat, although Akaashi remained standing. His slender figure was straight-backed with not a hint of emotion on his face. His gunmetal eyes were locked with Bokuto’s as his fingers twitched behind his back, the only sign of his nervousness. 

Bokuto waited for Akaashi to speak, although it seemed like Akaashi was waiting for Bokuto to say something. His eyes darted back and forth from Bokuto to the door and he made no motion of wanting to sit. 

“So Bokuto, I-” Akaashi’s voice was calm and gentle, exactly what someone would expect from his serious figure, but the more time went on, the more his fingers twitched behind his back. His fingernails scraped against each other and he pulled at his sleeves, the edges falling halfway down his hands. 

“I’m sorry, Akaashi,” Bokuto cut off Akaashi, steadying his breaths. Bokuto wasn’t an overthinker or even someone who planned things out, but the time apart from Akaashi had given him time to organize his thoughts. He had prepared what he wanted to say, but in the moment, all of his previous preparations were gone. He just wanted to tell Akaashi he was sorry and explain himself. 

Bokuto waited for Akaashi to say something, but it became apparent that Akaashi was waiting for Bokuto to add onto his statement. Bokuto’s breathing was speeding up and he was nowhere near the composure Akaashi had achieved. He rubbed his hands together, already beginning to sweat from the tension. 

“I didn’t mean what I said! I mean, I did, but not in the way that I said it. Fuck, this is hard to explain. I love you, Akaashi. But I can’t love you. If that makes sense. I want to be with you, but not yet. I want to be with you when you can love yourself and you’re not following your parents dreams anymore and you’re doing what you want in life. I want you to be happy, ‘Kaashi. I don’t wanna make you more miserable than you already are. I don’t know, does that make sense?” Bokuto tried to explain the best he could, although his thoughts were running in circles and he wasn’t even sure if he was making sense. Akaashi looked at him, eyes practically staring into Bokuto’s soul. 

“Yes, that makes sense. I’m sorry for running off and not giving you time to explain. I meant what I said. I do love you, Bokuto, but you’re right, I can’t be in a relationship until I have my shit sorted out. I’m not going to ask you to wait for me, but I would like to stay friends,” Akaashi’s hands were behind his back still fiddling with his sleeves. He was frowning, still looking Bokuto up and down as if he were studying him, Bokuto jumped up to hug Akaashi but paused before he touched him.

“Can I hug you?” Bokuto asked, holding his arms out awkwardly. Akaashi stood still for a moment, seemingly thinking of whether or not to allow the hug. Bokuto’s arms shook a little as they got tired from staying in the airuntil Akaashi gave a small nod. 

Bokuto wrapped his arms around Akaashi, squeezing him in close. Akaashi didn’t return the hug for a few seconds, but then wrapped his arms around Bokuto slowly. Bokuto tried not to squeeze too tight as Akaashi rested his head in the crook of Bokuto’s neck. They stayed like that for a few minutes as Bokuto stroked Akaashi’s hair. 

“I’ll wait for you as long as it takes, Keiji,” Bokuto whispered about as quiet as he could, testing out Akaashi’s first name. Akaashi shivered slightly as he pushed Bokuto away from the hug. Bokut quickly backed off, taking a few steps away from Akaashi. He panicked, wondering why Akaashi had pushed him away, but Akaashi’s soft smile told him that he had done nothing wrong. 

“Could you call me that again?” He asked quietly, fiddling with his fingers again. 

“Call you what? Keiji?” Bokuto teased. Akaashi smiled and let out a small laugh. Bokuto stuck out his tongue in response. 

“Why doesn’t he ask us to call him Keiji,” a voice pouted from the other side of the door. Bokuto and Akaashi gave each other a knowing look while Akaashi pulled the door open, causing both Lev and Nishinoya to fall flat on the ground. Tsukishima stood behind them, face full of disappointment at the two idiots on the ground. 

“Yeah we wanna call you Keiji!” Nishinoya whined from where he was sprawled on the floor. Akaashi gazed disapprovingly at them. He shook his head before turning to Bokuto. 

“You can call me Koutarou if you want,” Bokuto smiled, rubbing the back of his neck as a blush rose up past his cheeks. Akaashi smiled at the thought. 

“So, Koutarou-“ Akaashi trailed off as Bokuto’s grin widened. Bokuto fiddled with his fingers as-

Fuck, was he hard? 

“Ew get a room!” Lev stuck his tongue out, hastily climbing off of Nishinoya whom he was still crushing. 

“We had a room until you barged in,” Akaashi countered. Tsukishima sighed as Nishinoya and Lev looked back and forth at each other, realizing their mistake. 

“Sorry, Akaashi. I’ll take them away,” Tsukishima told him, grabbing the back of Nishinoya and Lev’s shirts. He began to drag them away until Bokuto raised a hand, signaling him to stop. 

“It’s alright, I should probably get going anyways. I have a class in like 10 minutes,” Bokuto laughed, suddenly remembering that he needed to go to class so he could actually somewhat understand what the teacher was talking about. 

“I’ll walk you out,” Akaashi told him, holding out his hand for Bokuto to grab it. Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s hand, intertwining their fingers together and smiling softly. He walked him to the front door of the apartment where Bokuto insisted he could go himself. 

“I don’t want you to come out into the rain!” Bokuto smiled, digging through his bag for something as they spoke. Akaashi’s mouth twisted into a frown. 

“Are you sure?” he asked, releasing his hand from Bokuto’s grip. 

“Yup! Also I got you something! I went to the cafe we used to go to together this morning and I was thinking of you and I got this coffee since I know you like your coffee black which is gross, but I don’t judge! Anyways, I should head off! I’ll see you later, Akaashi!” Bokuto quickly ran off after passing the coffee to Akaashi. Akaashi couldn’t help but smile as Bokuto clumsily ran away, bumping into the elevator door. The elevator arrived with a ding and Bokuto was about to step in before Akaashi yelled out his name. 

“Bokuto! Do you have an umbrella!” Akaashi yelled. Bokuto quickly stepped out of the elevator and returned to Akaashi’s front door. 

“No, why? The rain isn’t that bad!” Bokuto smiled, shrugging as he tried to peer out the window where the rain was pouring down. Akaashi sighed and grabbed an umbrella from inside, tossing it over to Bokuto. Bokuto caught it and smiled, telling a thank you as he ran off again. 

“He’s so stupid,” Akaashi mumbled quietly under his breath. 

“Yeah but you’re attracted to stupid,” Tsukishima laughed, returning to his room before Akaashi could retaliate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> join us next time where 
> 
> -oikawa tooru is a mess  
> akaashi keiji is good at comforting people  
> -bokuto koutarou is jealous


	10. I wanted chips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So uh I kinda got into a fight.”  
> “WHAT!”  
> “No, don’t worry, I won!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is kinda oikawa centred and a little self-indulgent but it’s decent i think lol.

It had been a little over a month since _the incident,_ as Bokuto liked to call it. Bokuto and Akaashi had grown even closer than they had been in high school and spent many nights over at one of their apartments. 

It was currently 2 am and both Bokuto and Akaashi were sitting on the couch of Bokuto’s living room, watching a horror movie that Akaashi had picked out. Bokuto jumped at every jumpscare and Akaashi couldn’t help thinking it was a little cute.

“Why’d you have to pick a horror movie?” Bokuto whined, hiding behind Akaashi. Akaashi laughed as one of the characters on screen was violently murdered and tried to drag Bokuto out from behind him. 

“Because I know you’re scared of them,” Akaashi smiled as Bokuto jumped at the sight of the corpse on the screen. It wasn’t even that scary of a movie, Bokuto just hated everything horror related. 

“Keiji,” Bokuto whined, knowing that Akaashi couldn’t stand it when he whined. 

“If you wanna watch something else, let’s watch something else,” Akaashi sighed, grabbing the tv remote. He flicked through the channels, searching for something to keep them both entertained. 

“Thank you, Keiji!” Bokuto smiled, giving Akaashi’s hand a light squeeze. Akaashi rolled his eyes and continued looking through the channels on the tv. As Akaashi finally settled on a movie he somewhat recognized, Bokuto’s phone rang. He looked at it to see Oikawa calling. He looked back at Akaashi, as if asking whether or not to answer it. 

“Go ahead,” Akaashi nodded, gesturing to the phone. Bokuto stood up and grabbed the phone, walking a few steps away from the couch. He raised the phone to his ear. 

“Hey Oikawa, what’s up?” he asked, voice trailing off as he heard the quiet sobs on the other end of the phone, “Bro, whats up?” 

_“Bokuto? Are you busy?”_

“Nah, what's up? Do you need something?” Bokuto asked, beginning to pace around. Akaashi paused the tv, sensing the urgency in Bokuto’s voice. 

_“Can you come and pick me up? I’m at a bar and I think I’m a little too drunk and I had a fight with Iwa-chan and I’m tired and fuck.”_

“Send me your location, I’m on my way,” Bokuto hung up and grabbed his jacket, already preparing to leave. Akaashi quickly scrambled up from the couch, following Bokuto to the door. 

“What’s going on, Bokuto?” Akaashi asked. 

“It’s Oikawa. I guess I should say he has some issues and he’s alone at a bar, drunk and if someone doesn’t pick him up, something’s gonna happen,” Bokuto explained, trying to shorten the situation so he wouldn’t worry Akaashi too much. This kind of thing was normal. Oikawa had a history of going through terrible breakdowns and making bad decisions. The most Bokuto could do was try to help him when it did happen. 

It had started after Oikawa had injured his knee in the first year of university. Thankfully, it had healed and he could still play volleyball, but those months of uncertainty had triggered something in Oikawa. He didn’t sleep or eat much and instead spent most of his time either studying or practicing volleyball. Since Oikawa had claimed he was going out with Iwaizumi, whom Bokuto had thought was imaginary at the time, it had happened less and Bokuto had thought he was getting better. Although now he realized that maybe it had just been Iwaizumi picking him up rather than Bokuto. 

Oikawa wasn’t stable mentally and was prone to making decisions that would hurt him in the long run and Bokuto hated that he didn’t know how to help him. Daichi helped comfort Oikawa and helped him fix whatever he had messed up the previous night since he was the self-proclaimed responsible one. Kuroo helped him with schoolwork and made sure he slept at okay hours and didn’t spend all night studying. And what could Bokuto do? Hug him and tell him it was all going to be okay when it clearly wasn’t. 

“Let me come with you,” Akaashi grabbed his jacket and tugged it on, preparing to follow Bokuto out. 

“It’s okay, I just have to-” Bokuto didn't want to cause any problems for Akaashi. Akaashi had probably seen his fair share of bars and was probably sick of them. 

“Let me come with you,” Akaashi repeated, although this time it was more of a direct statement than a question. Bokuto shrugged and led him to his, well Daichi’s, car. Bokuto had his license but he wasn’t exactly the most skilled driver. He could still drive and that was all that mattered. Akaashi took one look at Bokuto entering the car and then walked around to the drivers side, pulling Bokuto in and sitting down. 

“I’ll drive. It’s not that I’m doubting your skills, but I want to get to Oikawa quickly and without crashing. Just tell me where we’re going,” Akaashi explained, starting the car as Bokuto dropped into the passenger's side. Bokuto felt a little guilty for thinking it, but Akaashi was pretty hot when he took charge. 

Bokuto typed the address that Oikawa had sent him into the GPS and the two of them were on their way. Akaashi drove fast, smoothly darting in and out of traffic. Considering it was nearly 3 am, there were a lot more cars than one would expect. He reached the location Oikawa had sent far quicker than Bokuto would have if he drove. He quickly parked and the two ran into the bar, searching for Oikawa. 

They scanned the whole area, walking in the direction of some of the booths. Finally, they spotted Oikawa curled up in one of the booths. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his hair was disheveled, sticking out at every angle. Bokuto and Akaashi ran towards him, yelling his name. Oikawa’s head whipped up, staring at them with puffy, red eyes. There was a bruise sitting on the left side of his face and his lip was busted open. 

“Oh, hey. What’s up?” Oikawa asked, flipping his hair over to one side. He tried to smile, but his lip quivered with every word as if he was barely able to speak without bursting into tears. Akaashi quickly ran up to him, waiting for Oikawa’s approval before hugging him. Oikawa nodded once and Akaashi hugged up, wrapping his arms around Oikawa’s neck. 

“We’re gonna get you home now. You don’t have to talk about it until you want to. Hang on until we get to the car,” Akaashi told him, holding out his hand. Oikawa grabbed Akaashi’s hand and walked off towards the car. Bokuto followed behind the two of them, feeling even more useless than he did before. Akaashi hadn’t even known Oikawa for that long but he already knew how to comfort him better than Bokuto did. Bokuto knew it was probably because Akaashi had been through a lot of this before, but it still made him feel mildly jealous. Although he wasn’t sure if he was jealous of Akaashi for knowing how to comfort Oikawa or Oikawa for being on the receiving end of one of Akaashi’s hugs. 

The group of three walked to the car and Akaashi let Bokuto drive while he sat in the backseat with Oikawa. Bokuto started the car, seeing Oikawa lay his head on Akaashi’s lap in the mirror. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Bokuto asked, peering over to look at the back as he carefully drove out of the parking. He tried to keep his driving steady so he wouldn’t bother Oikawa or Akaashi. 

“Can we wait until we go home,” Oikawa asked, voice muffled by his sobs. Akaashi silently nodded and stroked his head slowly, Oikawa’s tears staining Akaashi’s shirt. Bokuto drove them back to the apartment as fast as he could and he and Akaashi both held onto Oikawa as they walked into their apartment, trying to hold him steady. 

Oikawa flopped onto the couch, followed by Akaashi and Bokuto on either side of him. Oikawa quickly laid down, burying his head into Akaashi's lap to try and stifle his sobs. Akaashi tangled his fingers in Oikawa’s messy brown locks and whispered that it was all going to be okay. Oikawa looked up at him and then looked at Bokuto, who was staring at the two, unsure of what to do. 

“So, I got an offer to go be a pro volleyball player in Argentina once I finish my last year of uni, which is only in a few months! And I know how good this offer is, but I can’t help but think that I’m not good enough for it. What if my knee injury comes back? What if everyone is better than me? I need to spend more and more time practicing. And what if that doesn’t take off? Then I’ll just be stuck in Argentina with no future. And then I told Iwa-chan about it. And then we had a fight because I said that maybe we should break up since a long-distance relationship is hard and I know that I’m causing trouble for Iwa-chan everytime he has to come pick me up from a bar at 3 am and I just wish I could be mentally stable or even just disappear. I just wanna disappear sometimes,” Oikawa’s last sentence trailed off into a sob as he dug his fingers into Akaashi legs. 

“Oikawa this is your dream! You’re an amazing volleyball player, y’know! You’re the only reason our uni team has even been in tournaments! Your sets are easy to hit and perfectly made for each person you’re setting for! And I haven’t known Iwaizumi for a long time, but I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He wouldn’t trade you for anything,” Bokuto tried to comfort Oikawa. Even though it might seem he was just trying to cheer Oikawa up, it was all the truth. Until Oikawa had joined the team, Bokuto had been having a pretty hard time adjusting to his new setter’s sets. Oikawa wasn’t naturally talented or anything like that, but he put in the effort to make himself better and that was what was even scarier. The fact that Oikawa could spend all of his time practicing was terrifying because it meant he would always be getting better. 

“I think Bokuto said it perfectly. But you should know, Oikawa, that there are a lot of people who care about you and would never want you to disappear, Iwaizumi included. I know there’s not much I can say to make you feel better, but I’m always here to talk if you need me,” Akaashi smiled, gently stroking Oikawa’s head. Oikawa responded with an even heavier sob, but to Bokuto it almost sounded as if his crying was beginning to slow down. 

“What happened with the bruises?” Bokuto asked, as Oikawa lifted up his face so Bokuto could see him. The bruise on the left side of his face had turned a dark purple and it even looked like there was a blood stain underneath his nose. 

“I uh got into a small fight at the bar,” Oikawa trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. When he noticed the shocked look on Akaashi’s face, he added with a laugh, “don’t worry I won!” 

“You need help cleaning up?” Akaashi asked quietly as Oikawa laid his head back down in Akaashi’s lap. Somehow Bokuto knew he wasn’t talking about help with cleaning the apartment. 

“It’s alright. I’ve got stuff in my room, it’ll be okay,” Oikawa shrugged, hugging Akaashi closer. Bokuto felt jealous of Oikawa for being cuddled so close to Akaashi, but then he felt guilty for feeling jealous of someone who was clearly hurting. 

“If you need anything, I’m here for you. You should talk to Iwaizumi. I’m sure you can make it work,” Akaashi smiled, squeezing Oikawa gently. 

“Thanks. But what if Iwa-chan doesn’t want me back!” Oikawa whined softly, slowly lifting his head out of Akaashi’s lap. 

“I can guarantee that Iwa-chan will still want you back,” a voice grumbled from the doorway. Oikawa’s head snapped upwards, finding Iwaizumi standing in the doorway. His hair was messed up and he looked almost as bad as Oikawa did. 

“Hajime! I’m sorry for everything and-” Oikawa scrambled off of the couch, running up to Iwaizumi and wrapping his arms around him. Iwaizumi leaned into the hug as Oikawa rested his head on Iwaizumi’s shoulder. 

“Can you shut up for once, Tooru. Don’t be sorry for anything. I don’t wanna break up with you. I know long distance is hard, but we can do it,” Iwaizumi told him, stroking his head and he held Oikawa close. Oikawa leaned forward into the touch, tilting his head down and kissing Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi pulled him down, pushing his fingers through Oikawa’s hair and holding him tight.

Bokuto turned to Akaashi and stuck a finger in his mouth, pretending to gag at the public display of affection. Akaashi laughed and shrugged, flashing Bokuto a big smile. Despite pretending to be annoyed, Bokuto was happy that Oikawa and Iwaizumi had made up. 

Iwaizumi grabbed Oikawa’s hand and began dragging him towards Oikawa’s room. Oikawa waved a peace sign at the two sitting on the couch before following Iwaizumi in and softly closing the door behind him, ending with a small click of the lock. 

“We should head out. Thin walls,” Bokuto tapped the wall behind him, already hearing Oikawa’s slight moans. Akaashi looked doubtful and shrugged, leaning back on the couch. 

“Oh my god, Hajime please,” Oikawa’s voice broke off into a moan as Bokuto shot Akaashi a look. Akaashi laughed softly and stood up. 

“Let’s go to my apartment,” he grabbed Bokuto’s hand, threading their fingers together. Bokuto followed him to the door, quickly scribbling a small note to Oikawa detailing where he was going. 

“You did a really good job comforting Oikawa,” Bokuto complimented as they pulled into the driveway of Akaashi’s apartment. They’d used Daichi’s car for the second time that night. Daichi was staying the night at Sugawara’s place and had told Bokuto that the car was his for the night so long as he didn’t crash it. 

“Thanks. I honestly think you did better. You’re really good with emotions,” Akaashi smiled, leaning in towards Bokuto. Their faces were mere inches apart as Akaashi breathed out slowly, “I think it’s really hot when a guy is in touch with his emotions”. 

“Akaashi-“ Bokuto slowly leaned in closer, watching Akaashi’s grey eyes dart across his face, his thick lashes tickling his cheek. Bokuto reached out his hand, intertwining his fingers with Akaashi’s. 

“Call me Keiji,” Akaashi reminded him, his eyes closing slowly. It almost felt like the air inside of the car was heavy, pushing them together. Bokuto could feel Akaashi’s breath on his face and all he could focus on was how pretty Akaashi really was. 

The two leaned even closer, seconds from pressing their lips together. Bokuto slowly closed his eyes, letting his other senses take the lead. The only sound was their combined breathing, each one at a different pace. They sat still for a few minutes, breathing in the cool 3 am air. Squeezing Akaashi’s hand, Bokuto moved in closer in order to kiss him. 

“HEY AKAASHI!! What are you doing sitting in the driveway in the middle of the night?” a voice paired with knocking at the window shook them from their small trance. Akaashi quickly pulled away, finding Nishinoya right outside their window. Noticing Bokuto sitting in the other seat, Nishinoya’s eyes widened, “oh my fuck did I just cockblock you? I’m so sorry Akaashi, forgive me! I’ll leave you alone!” 

“Noya what are you doing out at 3 am?” Akaashi asked, getting out of the car and grabbing the back of Nishinoua’s shirt. Nishinoya smiled and blushed slightly. 

“I wanted chips,” he mumbled, holding up the grocery bag in his hand. 

_“So I guess the moment’s over,”_ Bokuto thought, sighing softly as he got out of the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i almost cut this whole chapter ngl but i think it’s pretty important for bokuto’s development and for him to realize that he doesn’t need to help everyone himself.  
> join us next time where  
> -nishinoya yuu tries to make up for his cockblock  
> -tsukishima kei is salty  
> -bokuto koutarou is trying his best


	11. World’s best mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Would you like chocolate or vanilla?”  
> “Chocolate!”  
> “I’m sorry we are all out of the chocolate.”  
> “Why the fuck did you even ask?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was reading this chapter over and i realized just how self-indulgent i made akaashi what the fuck is this bs, past me. anyways yet again this chapter didn’t come out exactly as i wanted but i think it’s eh yk eh

“I’m gonna skip today,” Bokuto mumbled once he realized Akaashi was also awake. Bokuto had spent many a night in Akaashi’s bed and it wasn’t strange for him to wake up with Akaashi’s arms wrapped around his waist. 

“Me too,” Akaashi grumbled back, releasing Bokuto from his grasp and pulling the blankets up higher. They’d spent enough nights together for Bokuto to know that Akaashi was definitely not a morning person. He didn’t function without at least one cup of coffee in his system. It was a strange concept for Bokuto to grasp since he found that he always had the most energy in the mornings, but after sharing an apartment with Oikawa _will-throw-something-at-you-if-you-yell-in-the-mornings_ Tooru, he’d gotten used to it. 

Bokuto quickly jumped out of bed, throwing the blankets to the side. Akaashi let out an irritated grunt as he had to pull the blankets back, surrounding himself as tight as he could. Lev was still asleep on his side of the room. Bokuto practically skipped to the kitchen, each one of his steps filled with energy. He began to make a cup of coffee for Akaashi when a noise caught his attention. 

“Tsukki! You gotta help me!” Nishinoya bounced up and down as he and Tsukishima walked into the small kitchen. Nishinoya seemed to be able to rival Bokuto in terms of energy as he was literally jumping over and over. 

“If I agree, will you shut up?” Tsukishima asked, trying to hold Nishinoya back. Nishinoya nodded several times before Tsukishima sighed. The two only then noticed Bokuto, who had been too distracted by their conversation to focus on the coffee he was making. Nishinoya’s eyes lit up at the sight of him while Tsukishima took one look at Bokuto, sighed, and walked back into his room. 

“Bokuto! I’m gonna make up for being a cockblock!” Nishinoya smiled, peering over at what Bokuto was doing. Bokuto waited for the coffee machine to do its job as he turned to look at Nishinoya. 

“What are you gonna do?” Bokuto asked, eyes lighting up in excitement. Nishinoya smiled even wider, but quickly forced a frown on his face. 

“Wait, first I have something to say to you. Akaashi has forgiven you for whatever you did that day and so have I, but if you ever do anything to hurt Akaashi then you’re gonna see how much a short guy can fuck you up,” Nishinoya thretened, lowering his voice to a growl. Despite being nearly double Nishinoya’s height and weight, Bokuto couldn’t help but feel slightly threatened by the tiny ball of energy. Nishinoya’s mouth flipped back into a smile, “So anyways! I have scheduled a fancy candlelit dinner for you and Akaashi!”

“Seriously? Aren’t those expensive?” Bokuto asked, pouring out Akaashi’s coffee into a small mug that said _‘worlds best mom’_ on it. 

“Usually they are! But we got a discount at uh chez Nishinoya.” Nishinoya smiled and he grabbed himself a couple of granola bars. 

“Dude that sounds awesome!” Bokuto yelled, nearly spilling the coffee in his excitement. Nishinoya smiled proudly and put his hands on his hips. 

“Well yeah I know it’s gonna be awesome. Tsukki and Lev are gonna help me.” Nishinoya munched on the granola bars and Tsukishima poked his head out of the door. 

“No, I’m not,” Tsukishima told him, walking into the kitchen. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and turned to leave again. 

“Tsukki, c’mon. I want us to be friends!” Bokuto reached out for Tsukishima’s hand. Tsukishima pulled his hand away, careful not to spill his cereal. 

“Akaashi may have forgiven you, but I haven’t. Currently, I tolerate you. I might be able to grow to like you again, but for now I’m focused on making Akaashi happy. I’ll pretend to like you for now just for Akaashi, but the second you do something to make him sad I swear to god, you’re out of this apartment,” Tsukishima finished, taking his cereal to his room and shutting the door with a small click. Bokuto’s face turned slightly red as he turned to face Nishinoya, who was also red. 

“Sorry about that, Bokuto. He has his reasons,” Nishinoya tried to explain, “he was in a situation similar to you and Akaashi and he was in Akaashi’s position so I guess he wants to make sure Akaashi doesn’t get hurt like he did.” 

“No no, it’s okay! I won’t stop until me and Tsuki are friends!” Bokuto announced, picking up the coffee he’d made for Akaashi. Nishinoya waved as Bokuto carefully walked to Akaashi’s room so he wouldn’t spill any of the coffee. It was black just like Akaashi liked it and Bokuto resisted the urge to drink some of it because he knew how much he would hate it. 

He slowly opened the door, finding Akaashi rolled up in the blankets on his phone and Lev still asleep. Half of Lev’s body was hanging off of his bed as he lightly snored and Bokuto knew if no one woke him up, he would probably stay like that for another few hours. Akaashi spotted Bokuto and quickly turned his phone off so Bokuto wouldn’t see. Bokuto wondered what he had been doing, but he knew that it wasn’t really his business. 

“I made you coffee!” Bokuto cheered, holding out the coffee mug to Akaashi. Akaashi smiled at the mug Bokuto had chosen and took it from him, taking a small sip as he blew on it. 

“Thank you, Bokuto. I needed it.” Akaashi laughed softly and Bokuto thought that it might've been the nicest thing he’d ever heard. Akaashi’s phone began to ring and Akaashi peered over to check who it was, eyebrows furrowing at the sight of the name. Bokuto’s eyes just barely glanced over the name before Akaashi covered it. 

“I’ve gotta take this. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Akaashi stepped out into the bathroom, not picking up the phone until the door was safely shut behind him. Bokuto had managed to see that it was Akaashi’s father calling. Bokuto knew that Akaashi had a bad relationship with his parents. It had been like that since high school. 

Akaashi was literally in a major he didn’t want to be in because of his parents after all. Akaashi had spent many nights at Bokuto’s place because he didn’t feel safe at his own house. His parents were both relatively rich with his mom being a doctor and his dad owning a business. Bokuto had never liked Akaashi's parents. 

There was something in the way his parents looked at him that rubbed Bokuto the wrong way. Akaashi spent far more time than needed studying, even when he was at Bokuto’s house because he was always fearful that his parents were watching. And when Akaashi had realized he was gay he had spent hours just crying on the couch of Bokuto’s living room, knowing that if he told his parents they would probably kick him out or worse. 

Bokuto almost wanted to go up to the bathroom door and listen to his conversation, but he knew that it would be an invasion of Akaashi’s privacy. But he didn’t trust Akaashi’s parents and even if Akaashi was more stable now than he was in high school, they still had so much influence over Akaashi. 

“Hey, I’m back!” Akaashi smiled, picking up his coffee and immediately taking a large sip. He didn’t look Bokuto in the eyes, instead glancing around the room. His grey eyes were slightly red, as if he had cried. 

“Is everything okay?” Bokuto asked, just barely noticing the glint of a tear in Akaashi’s eyes. Akaashi forced a smile onto his face and nodded. 

“The usual. Lecture about grades and shit like that,” Akaashi sighed, sitting back down on the bed. He laid his head on Bokuto’s shoulder, staying still for a few moments. 

“Nishinoya has something special planned out for us later tonight,” Bokuto told him, trying to change the subject to something that would make Akaashi feel better. Akaashi’s eyes lit up as he took another sip of his coffee. 

“Well then, I cannot wait to see what Noya has planned considering he tried to bring his boyfriend to mcdonald’s for their anniversary this year.” 

“Welcome to chez Nishinoya and we hope you enjoy your dinner,” Nishinoya smiled, leading towards the living room. The coffee table had been pushed out of the way in favour of a smaller table with two chairs. All of the lights were dimmed and there was a single candle on the centre of the table. The tv was turned on but the channel it was playing was one of those fireplace channels complete with the sound and everything. 

As Lev pulled out Akaashi’s chair so he could sit, Bokuto took a moment to admire Akaashi. He was wearing a black suit that almost made Bokuto grab him and kiss him the second he put it on. The black tie was neatly wrapped around Akaashi’s neck and the dark colour scheme made his gunmetal eyes stand out, as if they were constantly searching the inner depths of your soul. 

Oikawa had shown up with Bokuto’s suit, claiming that there was no way Bokuto was going on a date without getting done up by him. It was also his way of saying thank you for the day before when Bokuto and Akaashi had come to his rescue at the bar. The bruise on Oikawa’s cheek had slightly faded, although it was still visible. 

Oikawa had gelled Bokuto’s hair back instead of up like he usually did. According to Oikawa, the white jacket would compliment his hair and make his eyes ‘pop’. Oikawa claimed that Bokuto looked great, but Bokuto wasn’t sure how he was supposed to compete with Akaashi who was arguably the prettiest person he had ever met. He’d formerly thought Oikawa was pretty, but there was something about Akaashi that made him realize that he’d never really seen beauty before. 

“You look very handsome, Bokuto.” Akaashi smiled. Bokuto immediately felt the blood rush to his face at the compliment. 

“You look way more handsome, Akaashi! You’re so pretty!” Bokuto yelled as Akaashi quickly hid his face with his hands. Akaashi opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Lev stopping by their table to give them a menu, which were nothing more than two pieces of paper with a couple of food items hastily scrawled on them. 

“I think I’ll have the spaghetti.” Akaashi smiled, passing the ‘menu’ back to Lev. 

“Ah yes, excellent choice.” Lev nodded, turning to Bokuto. 

“Me too!” Bokuto yelled as he passed the menu back. The ‘date’ went smoother than Bokuto had expected considering Lev, Nishinoya, and Oikawa were cooking. Bokuto had begged them not to let Oikawa cook because it would no doubt result in the kitchen on fire, but they hadn’t listened. Thankfully, no fires had been started and their food was relatively safe. 

“Here is your dessert menu.” Lev passed them another menu. Bokuto opened it to find two options in a big, bold font. 

“I’ll have the pudding.” Akaashi folded up his menu to hand it back but Lev held out a hand. 

“I’m sorry, we are all out of the pudding,” he told them and Bokuto noticed Oikawa and Nishinoya eating something shaped suspiciously like a pudding cup. Bokuto let out a small laugh. 

“I guess we’ll have the ice cream,” Akaashi finished, handing back the menu again. Lev nodded and accepted the menus back. 

“Would you like chocolate or vanilla?” Lev asked. 

“Chocolate!” Bokuto yelled, throwing his hands up in excitement. 

“I’m sorry, we are all out of the chocolate ice cream,” Lev replied, glancing over to where Nishinoya and Oikawa were beckoning him to come over with a tub of chocolate ice cream.

“Why the fuck are you even asking then?” Akaashi laughed, covering his mouth with his hands. Bokuto silently wished that Akaashi would lower his hands because he had such a nice laugh. Seeing Akaashi happy made Bokuto feel sort of warm and fuzzy inside. 

“Two vanilla ice creams on the way,” Lev promised, walking back to the kitchen where Nishinoya gave him a thumbs up. Akaashi’s laughing quickly quieted down as his face returned to its usual serious expression. He began fidgeting with his fingers, scraping along the edges of his nails. Bokuto knew that Akaashi only did this when he was nervous, so he must’ve had something to say. 

“Bokuto, can I ask you something? It’s okay if you don’t want to answer,” Akaashi asked quietly, rubbing his fingers together harder. He began picking at his nails, trying to tear off a hangnail. Bokuto reached over the table and grabbed Akaashi's hands, interlocking his fingers with Akaashi’s so that he wouldn’t be able to hurt himself. Bokuto had seen Akaashi pick at his nails long enough to make them bleed and Bokuto hated it. 

“Y’know, you can tell me anything,” Bokuto reassured him, giving his hands a gentle squeeze as he held them across the table. Akaashi let out a heavy breath, trying to calm himself. 

“I know I told you not to wait for me and I feel selfish asking, but is there a chance you would ever be able to love me again. I don’t know if I’m ready, but if I keep second guessing myself then I’m never going to get anywhere.” Akaashi paused, trying to steady his breathing which had grown heavy. 

“Akaashi, I-” Bokuto wanted to reassure Akaashi that he still loved him. That the two of them could be together without any problems. 

“I’m not finished yet.” Akaashi furrowed his brows as if trying to think of what he was going to say next, “I love you, Bokuto. A lot. But I’m willing to put my feelings aside for you. I’m going to talk to my parents and the only thing that can stop me from loving you now is you.” 

“Keiji, I told you before. I would wait for you forever. I love you too! I love you more than I love volleyball and that’s a lot, Keiji! Like, if I had to choose between playing volleyball and hanging out with you, I would choose to hang out with you and then maybe we could even play volleyball together. That would be putting the two things I love the most together! Keiji! We should play volleyball together!” Bokuto began to ramble about volleyball and Akaashi couldn’t help laughing. He covered his mouth with his hand before laughing too hard for his hand to contain the noise. 

“Cheque, please.” Akaashi stood up, grabbing Bokuto’s hand and smiling. 

“It’s on the house. Get some, Akaashi!” Nishinoya yelled, followed by cheering from Lev and Oikawa. Akaashi’s face flushed and Bokuto took advantage of the slight distraction to give Akaashi a small kiss on the nose. Akaashi stopped dead in his tracks for a second, trailing off from whatever retort he was about to make. 

“Keiji, you okay?” Bokuto asked, a little bit worried at Akaashi’s sudden silence. His face turned an even darker shade of red at the question.

“I’m fine! I’m not flustered! Not at all! Not one bit! Let’s go, Bokuto!” Akaashi yelled quickly, grabbing Bokuto’s hand and dragging him to his room. Once they were safely in Akaasih’s room, Akaashi let go of Bokuto’s hand and covered his face which had reached shades of red that Bokuto didn’t know were possible. Bokuto gently grabbed his hands and lowered them.

“You look cute when you’re flustered.” Bokuto smiled which didn’t really help Akaashi’s situation. He paced across the room, trying to hide his face. 

“Will you be my boyfriend, Bokuto?” Akaashi asked, turning around to face Bokuto who turned almost as red as Akaashi at that question. 

“Hell yeah! And you’ll be my boyfriend too?” Bokuto wrapped his fingers with Akaashi’s, hugging him close. 

“You idiot, that already comes with you being my boyfriend,” Akaashi whispered softly, words interrupted by quiet sobs. 

“Are you crying?” Bokuto asked, holding Akaashi a few inches away to look at his face before pulling him in close again. Akaashi buried his head into Bokuto’s shoulder, staining the white jacket with tears. 

“No I’m not crying, shut up,” Akaashi retorted, wiping his eyes. Bokuto squeezed him once before pushing him away again. 

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Bokuto asked.

“Yeah, I was going to ask you to stay anyways,” Akaashi answered as the two prepared for bed. 

The two had spent many a night cuddling together in one bed, but now that they were together it felt different. Akaashi had snuggled in close to Bokuto and Bokuto wrapped his arms around him, holding Akaashi close to his chest. Bokuto shut his eyes tight, trying to focus on going to sleep, but it was hard for him to not let his mind wander with all that had happened today. 

He finally had a boyfriend and it was Akaashi no less. This was a moment he used to dream about in high school and he never would’ve guessed that someday in the future, he would have Akaashi cuddled in his arms. He couldn’t help but think that Akaashi was out of his league. Akaashi was one of the best looking boys he had ever met. Not only was he pretty, but he was incredibly smart, kind, and an overall great person to be around. 

Akaashi even had his fair share of admirers. Girls and boys alike who gave him secret love letters and confessed under that stupid cherry blossom tree on campus because it was the most romantic place. Akaashi hadn’t hesitated to reject them, but Bokuto couldn’t stop himself from thinking that Akaashi would be better off with one of the others. With a pretty girl who was studying to be a doctor. A girl who had a future that was set in stone. A girl who would at least be approved by his parents. Someone who his family would accept. 

But Akaashi had chosen Bokuto. Akaashi hadn’t chosen the blond girl who had given him a box of chocolates. Akaashi hadn’t chosen the guy with brown eyes who had written him a poem. Akaashi hadn’t chosen the pink haired girl who had played him a song on her guitar. He had chosen Bokuto, the guy who had given him a friend when he needed it most. 

And it was Akaashi’s choice that mattered. Because no one, not even his parents could control Akaash. He was his own person and he had chosen Bokuto. He’d chosen Bokuto of his own free will. 

“Hey, Bokuto,” Akaashi whispered quietly, snuggling in closer to Bokuto, “I’m going to talk to my parents this weekend. Will you come with me?” 

“Yeah, of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> join us next time where
> 
> -akaashi keiji realizes just how bad he is at feelings  
> -bokuto koutarou wants to beat someone up
> 
> make sure to leave a comment!! i love seeing your feedback and comments and stuff! <33


	12. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Which one do I look hotter in?”  
> “I think you look hotter in nothing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am sO sOrry i think quarantine is messing with my brain this did not turn out very good or how i was planning like at all

The weekend arrived faster than Bokuto wanted it to. He thought that he would’ve had time to prepare, but before he knew it, he was in Akaashi’s room trying to help him pick out a nice suit. Akaashi had also invited Oikawa over, seeing as he knew more about fashion than Bokuto did. Bokuto was sitting on the bed, watching Akaashi and Oikawa dig through piles of clothing. 

“The black is more conservative and it’ll make your eyes stand out, but the white is more original and it’ll contrast with your hair,” Oikawa explained, holding up the two different suits. Bokuto recognized the black one as the one Akaashi had worn on their ‘fancy candlelit dinner’.

“Bokuto, which one do I look hotter in?” Akaashi asked, turning to Bokuto for his opinion. Bokuto thought about it for a moment, before deciding on a pickup line.

“I think you look hotter in nothing, Keiji.” Bokuto winked. Akaashi rolled his eyes at the comment while Oikawa stuck his finger in his mouth, pretending to gag. Bokuto finished with an actual piece of advice, “you look hotter in the black. I wanted to pull it off you the second I saw you in it which is a good sign.” 

“Mhm, you have a point. I’ll go with the black.” Akaashi nodded, hanging the white suit back up. He laid the black suit on the bed and turned to Oikawa, who immediately began to talk about something that had happened in his class yesterday. 

Akaashi and Oikawa had become fast friends after Akaashi had helped that night at the bar. Bokuto almost felt left out since the two of them hung out so often. They’d bonded over the fact that they were both setters in high school and Oikawa had even convinced Akaashi to join them for more practices. Bokuto felt slightly jealous, but he knew their relationship was strictly platonic and that they could relate to each other in more ways than Bokuto had originally thought. 

“I’ll see you two later! Good luck tonight. Bokuto, this is the one night we’re allowing you to skip movie night. Kisses!” Oikawa blew them both a kiss as he left. Akaashi flopped backwards onto the bed, laying his head in Bokuto’s lap. Bokuto gently stroked his head, running his fingers through Akaashi’s dark locks. 

“Are you nervous?” Bokuto asked as he slowly pulled his fingers through a knot. Akaashi shrugged, his face not showing any emotion. 

“I feel like I should be nervous, but I’m not. I’ve spent my whole life worrying about what my parents will think. If they don’t accept me, then what’s the worst that's gonna happen? I’ll get disowned? It’s not like they acted like parents anyways,” Akaashi sighed, sitting up and grabbing his phone. For most of his life, Akaashi had raised himself. Considering how controlling his parents were, they didn’t really spend that much time with him. 

“Good for you, Keiji! You’re independent! You don’t need them!” Bokuto cheered, patting Akaashi on the back. Akaashi laughed and gave Bokuto a small kiss on the cheek. 

“I love you, Koutarou,” Akaashi sighed softly. Bokuto jerked up from where he was sitting on the bed, eyes widening at the sentence. 

“Y’know, I love it when you say my first name,” Bokuto whispered. Akaashi turned around as if to repeat it, but only then seemed to realize what he’d said. His face flushed crimson and he covered his whole face with his hands. 

“Oh my god,” he muttered, peeking in between his fingers at a smiling Bokuto. 

“I love you too, Keiji! Call me Koutarou more often!” Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s hands and lowered them from his face, leaning in and kissing him. 

“I think the nerves are kicking in now,” Akaashi whispered softly, squeezing Bokuto’s hand. The two stood outside of Akaashi’s parents home, waiting for someone to open the door. It wasn’t the same house that Akaashi had lived in back in highschool. This house was large and forbidding, like you couldn’t enter unless you were wealthy. 

“You’re gonna be fine, Keiji! More than that, you’re gonna be amazing!” Bokuto whispered back, although it was a lot louder than Akaashi’s whisper had been. Akaashi laughed softly before letting out a small breath and steadying himself again. The door burst open, revealing a woman dressed in a long black dress. Her face was stern and she didn’t even smile when she caught sight of Akaashi. 

“Keiji dear, it’s good to see you again. I’m glad you told us you were coming so we could get a little dressed up. How embarrassing would it be for you to show up in this nice tux and find your mother in work clothes.” Akaashi’s mother gestured inside for the two to come in, but only then seemed to notice Bokuto, “Keiji, who’s your friend?” 

“I’m Bokuto Koutarou, Mrs. Akaashi. I was friends with Akaashi back in highschool” Bokuto bowed and held his hand out for a handshake. 

“Yes, I remember you. I’m Akane Akaashi, Keiji’s mother. It’s nice to see you again.” Akaashi’s mother smiled through tight lips. Akaashi and Bokuto followed Akaashi’s mother to the living room where they found Akaashi’s father. 

“Hello, father.” Akaashi bowed. Akaashi’s father nodded in response and turned to Bokuto, pointing a finger at him. 

“Who is he?” Akaashi’s father asked. Bokuto bowed and introduced himself, earning a small scowl from Akaashi’s father. 

“We have a class together later today so he came to help me out,” Akaashi explained, sprinkling in a small lie to make it seem more believable. Akaashi and Bokuto didn’t actually have a single class together as much as Bokuto wanted to. 

“So what? You’re too much of a coward to talk to your dear parents alone?” Akaashi’s father scoffed, scanning Bokuto up and down. 

“Father, he’s only here to support me. I’m here to talk to you about something important.” Akaashi’s hands were behind his back as he scraped his nails against each other, pulling off a piece of his nail. Bokuto slowly reached out his hands and grabbed Akaashi’s hand, stopping him from further hurting himself. Akaashi yanked his hand back out of fear that his parents would see, but he was slightly calmer knowing that Bokuto was by his side. 

“Alright talk to me then.” Akaashi’s father smiled. Akaashi took a deep breath, preparing for what he was going to say next. 

“I’m dropping out of medical school.” Akaashi shut his eyes after his sentence, quickly fidgeting with his hands again. He was prepared for his dad to yell at him, but the first person to say something was his mother who dropped the glass of water in her hands. 

“Keiji, you can’t be serious. You’re going to be a doctor just like your mother. We won’t let you drop out,” Akaashi’s mother explained calmly, cleaning up the glass she had dropped. 

“I’m going to drop out of med school and major in something else,” Akaashi repeated. 

“No you’re not. We didn’t raise you to be a failure,” Akaashi’s father spat, eyes wide with fury. Bokuto took a step forward toward Akaashi’s father. 

“You didn’t raise him at all!” Bokuto yelled. Akaashi’s father quickly turned his head, as if just now remembering that Bokuto was there. 

“This is your fault isn’t it? You’re probably an art major and you’ve filled his head with lies.” Akaashi’s father’s face was red as he stood up from his seat, staring down Bokuto. Bokuto was taller and he stared down Akaashi’s father. 

“I’m a phys ed major actually,” Bokuto corrected. 

“That’s even worse. Don’t tell me you’re in university on a sports scholarship and you wanna be a pro athlete in the future,” Akaashi’s father was nearly laughing at his own words. Akaashi reached out a hand and Bokuto grabbed it, squeezing his hand tight. Akaashi’s mother seemed to spot this action. 

“Keiji, don’t tell me you two are dating?” Akaashi’s mother asked, covering her mouth with her hand. Bokuto quickly tried to pull his hand away, but Akaashi held tight. Akaashi hadn’t mentioned whether he wanted to keep their relationship a secret or not. 

“Yes, we are dating. And I’m happier with him than I ever have been with you,” Akaashi explained, squeezing Bokuto’s hand again. Akaashi’s father rolled his eyes and sat down again. 

“We thought you’d gotten over this phase, Keiji,” Akaashi’s mother said, moving to stand next to Akaashi’s father. 

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll just do the same thing we did with your first boyfriend whatever his name was,” Akaashi’s father laughed. Bokuto clenched his fist at his side. It was taking everything in him not to step forward and punch Akaashi’s father right that second. 

“It’s not a phase, mother, and I’m not going to ‘get over it’. I can’t control the fact that I like boys and I’m not going to break up with Bokuto.” Akaashi’s face wasn’t sad or nervous or angry, it was just empty. So far, he was managing to control his emotions, but Bokuto would much rather see Akaashi angry and yelling than see him so full of nothing. 

“I’m getting tired of you talking back to us, Keiji,” Akaashi’s father growled, staring Akaashi straight in the eyes. Akaashi flinched slightly at his words, but Bokuto kept holding his hand, trying to calm him down. 

“And I’m tired of you pretending you know what’s best for me,” Akaashi growled back. 

“All you have to do is break up with this boy and we can go back to how it was. We’ll find you a nice woman to marry, you’ll become a doctor, and you’ll have some kids who hopefully won’t disappoint you as much as you’re disappointing us,” Akaashi’s father calmly explained, turning to Akaashi’s mother for backup. 

“Do you remember Shimizu? Wasn’t she such a pretty and nice girl? I’m sure we can work something out with her parents.” Akaashi’s mother smiled, lips pressed tight together. 

“I’m not going to marry Shimizu. I came here to inform you of my decision to drop out and if you will not accept it, then I’ll be leaving now.” Akaashi turned around, grabbing Bokuto’s hand and moving to the exit. Akaashi’s father yelled for them to stop, standing up and walking right up to Akaashi. 

“You’re really pissing me off right now, Keiji. You’ve got three seconds to sit down and tell me you’re going to stay in medical school,” Akaashi’s father threatened, standing mere inches from Akaashi. 

“No,” Akaashi answered simply, staring up at his father with a deadpan glare. 

“Keiji, if you keep disobeying me then I swear I will disown you.” Akaashi’s father looked as if he was prepared to spit in Akaashi’s face. Akaashi looked him up and down before smiling. 

“Do whatever you wish. If that’s all, goodbye father.” Akaashi took a step away from his father and prepared to leave. 

There was a smack and then Akaashi was pressing his hand up against his face, a large red imprint on his cheek. Akaashi’s father had his hand raised, staring at Akaashi with an angry glare, his eyebrows pointed downwards. Akaashi stared up at his father, eyes shutting tight as he tried to hold back his emotions. 

Then there was a blur of motion. Bokuto wasn’t sure what was happening, but the next thing he knew he was on the ground on top of Akaashi’s father. He ripped at the white collar of Akaashi’s father’s shirt, letting his anger pour out of his fists. 

He couldn’t care less that it was Akaashi’s father who was currently being pummeled. This man was Akaashi’s father in blood only — they were not connected by mind or by spirit, but only by a random chance that they were paired together. They were forced together by fate and now it was Akaashi’s turn to take matters into his own hands and decide who he wanted in his family. 

Bokuto was the person that Akaashi had chosen. Not his father, not his mother, but the loud-mouthed boy who had come sprinting into his life, probably tripping over a few objects on the way. Bokuto had arrived in a blaze of light and he had rescued Akaashi from the darkness he was falling into. 

And now Bokuto would do anything to protect Akaashi. To protect this love that they had worked so hard for. This love that they had gone through so much for. 

“I’m calling the cops!” Akaashi’s mother yelled in a shrill voice, reaching for her phone. Akaashi ripped the phone out of her hands and tossed it across the room. 

“Bokuto, lets go.” Akaashi attempted to pull Bokuto off of his father. Bokuto reluctantly stood up, wrapping a protective arm around Akaashi. Akaashi’s father slowly stood up, blood dripping down his nose. 

“Don't contact Keiji again.” Bokuto smiled, turning towards the door. He led Akaashi to the door, slowly closing it behind them. Once they were safely outside, Akaashi fell to the ground, taking in deep breaths. 

Bokuto kneeled down next to him and Akaashi crumpled into Bokuto’s arms. Bokuto held him tight, trying to show him that he was safe and that everything would be okay. 

“God I can’t believe you just beat up my dad,” Akaashi mumbled something that was in between a laugh and a cry. 

“Did you not want me to?” Bokuto laughed in response. Akaashi shook his head and stood up, leading Bokuto to his car. As they shuffled into their respective seats, Akaashi pulled out of his parents’ driveway. 

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now,” Akaashi mumbled, staring straight ahead at the road. Bokuto wanted to help him, but in all honesty he wasn’t sure what to do. What even could he do? 

“Hey, pull over. Let me drive,” Bokuto suggested. Akaashi silently followed his orders, pulling over to the side of the road and switching places. Bokuto quickly drove off, heading in the opposite direction that they had been going in before. Bokuto rolled down his window, letting the cold air rush into the car. 

“Where are we going?” Akaashi asked, wiping tears from his eyes. Bokuto smiled in response, sticking his tongue out at Akaashi. 

“It’s a surprise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> join us next time where
> 
> -i have no fucking clue what’s going on  
> -IM JK SKDJFJJ (maybe not)   
> -bokuto koutarou has a surprise  
> -tsukishima kei maybe gets over his salt a little


	13. Keiji Bokuto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You got married??"  
> “What? No! That sounds like a good idea though. Do you know anywhere we can get married on short notice?”  
> “No, I want a fancy wedding."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a hot minute since i posted my apologies. i had a really hard time writing this chapter for multiple reasons. imma be honest its been like 25k words or something and i still have absolutely zero clue how to write bokuto. if this was an akaashi x oikawa it would be so much easier i cannot take this. also i just had no idea how i wanted this chapter to go. im still not rlly happy with this but it iz what it iz (also i did not edit this so like just tell me about the typos and whatever and dont bully me pls im sensitive and illiterate)

“It’s weird,” Akaashi muttered as Bokuto drove down the street. 

“What is?” Bokuto asked, staying focused on the road. The two had been driving for nearly half an hour with minimal conversation. 

“I should be sad right now, right? But I’m not. I’m just kind of shocked, I think. Is there something wrong with me? My parents have practically disowned me, yet not a single tear that I’ve shed has been because of the fact that I’m losing them. Why am I not sad? Am I emotionless?” Akaashi bit at his nails, asking question after question. He lowered his fingers from his mouth, rubbing at the spot that had begun to bleed slightly. 

“I don’t think you should be sad! Your parents weren’t even parents, they were just like, people who gave birth to you and then left you. They don’t deserve you and you shouldn’t cry about them!” Bokuto answered, a little bit angry at the fact that he couldn’t look at Akaashi at that moment. He was narrowly weaving in between traffic and keeping his eyes on the road was most important. 

“I guess you’re right.” Akaashi giggled softly, covering his mouth with his hand and Bokuto thought that it might’ve been the nicest sound he’d ever heard. The fact that Akaashi was still laughing made him feel like Akaashi could do anything. Bokuto slowly pulled into the driveway of a building and opened the door. 

“We’re here!” Bokuto announced, running over to open the passenger’s door for Akaashi. Akaashi stared up at the house they were in front of. 

“Bokuto, did you bring me to your mom?” Akaashi asked, as he took in the sights of the house. It was definitely a lot smaller than the house where Akaashi’s parents lived, but it was a familiar sight. It was the same place Akaashi had spent day after day feeling what he only could have assumed was the warmth of a family. 

Ms Bokuto or Kokoro as she insisted on being called felt more like a mother to Akaashi than his own mother did. Bokuto had lived with only his mother for as long as Akaashi could remember. Bokuto never mentioned his father and Akaashi knew better than to pry into a sensitive topic. After all, Bokuto’s first real fight with Kuroo back in high school had been about that same topic. 

“When I told my mom that we were dating, she kept begging me to bring you to visit.” Bokuto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Akaashi gave him a small smile, trying to hide the fact that he was actually really excited to see Bokuto’s mom again. 

If Akaashi’s math was correct (and it usually was), Akaashi hadn’t seen Bokuto’s mom for nearly three years, specifically Bokuto’s graduation. 

“Welcome home,” Bokuto laughed softly, pulling open the front door of the house. Akaashi followed Bokuto inside, the soft smell of something cooking filled the air. Akaashi’s eyes darted around the room, taking in the sights of the two black couches that Akaashi had spent hours sitting on watching a movie in high school. 

“Kou! You’re home! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Bokuto’s mom quickly ran to the front door, stopping in place when she spotted Akaashi. She walked up to him and gave Akaashi a hug, “Keiji! I’m so glad to see you again! It’s been way too long.” 

“It is good to see you as well, Ms Bokuto.” Akaashi bowed once he was released from the hug. 

“You’ve always been too formal, Keiji. Call me Kokoro.” Bokuto’s mom smiled, rubbing the top of Akaashi’s head. Akaashi was slightly relieved to see that Bokuto’s mom hadn’t changed. Her hair, albeit a slightly lighter shade of pink, was still cropped close to her head and her smile was still just as large and infectious as it used to be. 

Akaashi and Bokuto sat down at the kitchen table, watching as Bokuto’s mom went back to the food she was cooking. Bokuto gave Akaashi a sheepish smile, as if trying to apologize since he knew his mother could be a little overbearing at times. Akaashi shook his head, trying to tell Bokuto not to apologize. 

“Kou, you should’ve told me you were coming! I could’ve made something better to eat,” Bokuto’s mom complained as she put out three bowls of food. 

“It’s fine, Ms Bokuto- er Kokoro. I apologize for any trouble I may cause you.” Akaashi bowed once more as Bokuto’s mom walked up beside him. 

“Hey, don’t apologize for anything. I’m glad you’re here. Kou has been putting off bringing you over for months now.” Bokuto’s mom scruffed the top of Akaashi’s head, messing up the hair he had spent hours trying to fix in the morning. 

“Mom!” Bokuto whined. Bokuto was beginning to wonder if bringing Akaashi here really was a good idea, “don’t be so clingy! We’re here because something happened and Keiji wanted to get his mind off of it.”

“Is that right?” Bokuto’s mom mumbled, looking Akaashi in the eyes, “it was your parents, wasn’t it? Y’know, I never liked them. They were always way too controlling.” 

“I’m pretty sure that my parents have probably already begun cutting me out of the will,” Akaashi laughed softly. 

“In that case, don’t you think Keiji Bokuto sounds cute?” Bokuto’s mom smiled, winking at Bokuto. 

“Moooooom!!” 

Akaashi slowly opened the door to his apartment, trying not to wake anyone who might be sleeping. It was nearly 12 am now. Akaashi had spent most of the day at Bokuto’s house. 

It had been a nice chance of pace, laughing with Bokuto and his mom. Bokuto’s mom had made him feel like he belonged there. 

And yeah, maybe he was a little tipsy right now. 

That was when his phone buzzed. Reaching into his pocket, Akaashi scanned the message. He bit back what he wasn’t sure was a laugh or a sob, holding the phone so that Bokuto could see. 

_Father: You are out of the will. No one in this family considers you an Akaashi any longer. You are a disappointment. If you ever change your mind and go back to being normal, your mother and I will gladly take you back. Until then, do not contact me. Goodbye._

Bokuto read over the message, golden eyes darting back and forth. Then, he laughed. At the sound of Bokuto’s loud laugh, Akaashi burst into laughter while wiping tears from his eyes. 

“From the sound of your laughter, I take it that it went well?” Tsukishima grumbled from the couch where Lev was asleep on his shoulder. Nishinoya shook Lev awake and smiled. 

“Akaashi!” Nishinoya yelled, quickly leaping off of the couch to hug Akaashi. When Nishinoya finally pulled away from the hug, Akaashi shook his head. 

“I am no longer Akaashi! You may now call me Keiji Bokuto.” Akaashi winked at Bokuto who in turn gave Akaashi a kiss on the cheek. 

“You got married?” Lev practically screeched from where he was sitting, nearly falling to the ground from his sudden panic. 

“What? No! That sounds like a good idea though, Keiji, do you know anywhere we can get married on short notice?” Bokuto asked, wrapping an arm around Akaashi’s shoulders. 

“No, I want a fancy wedding. We have to plan in advance,” Akaashi responded, leaning into Bokuto’s touch. 

“You’re both drunk, aren’t you?” Tsukishima asked, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the two of them. 

“Nooooo! Just a lil’ tipsy,” Bokuto countered. 

“Why don’t you two go to bed and we’ll talk in the morning.” Tsukishima’s voice was soft and soothing as he gestured towards Akaashi’s bedroom. Akaashi nodded and dragged Bokuto to his room, not even bothering to change his clothes before dropping backwards onto the bed. 

Bokuto scrambled into bed next to him, pulling the covers up to his face. Akaashi cuddled in next to him, wrapping his arms around Bokuto. Akaashi smiled at the warmth that Bokuto’s body radiated as he snuggled in even closer. 

“Hey, Koutarou,” Akaashi mumbled softly. Bokuto muttered a reply as Akaashi dug his face into Bokuto’s chest. Akaashi let out a small sigh, “thank you. I was really worried about today, but it was so much better with you there. Thank you for everything. Thank you.”

“I’m always gonna be here for you, Keiji. Thank you for letting me into your life.” 

“Someone’s up early,” Tsukishima’s voice was sharp as he walked into the kitchen, finding Bokuto sitting at the counter. Bokuto’s head whipped backwards to look at Tsukishima who took a seat next to him. 

Tsukishima poured himself a bowl of cereal and ate it quietly. For maybe the first time in his life, Bokuto didn’t know what to say. Bokuto wanted to be friends with Tsukishima, but Tsukishima was so utterly convinced that Bokuto was the cause of Akaashi’s issues. 

“Tsukki, I-”

“No. Stop talking.” Tsukishima pushed his glasses up as he turned to look at Bokuto.

“Oh, uh okay.” Bokuto sat still for a few moments, waiting for Tsukishima to speak again. After Tsukishima was silent, Bokuto opened his mouth again only to be cut off by Tsukishima’s sigh. 

“I’m sorry, alright. I judged you too quickly and I held a grudge against you for something that was out of your control. I let my own experiences cloud my judgement.” It looked as if Tsukishima was barely able to get the words out without grimacing. 

“Aww, Tsukki! I forgive you! Let’s just be friends!” Bokuto’s smile was wide as he reached out to hug Tsukishima. Tsukishima grumbled in annoyance as he slowly patted Bokuto’s back. 

“Yeah, whatever. If you hurt Akaashi I will still hurt you,” Tsukishima told him, finally breaking free from Bokuto’s death grip. 

“Hey, Tsukki, can I ask something?” Bokuto asked, a little bit quieter than usual. Tsukishima nodded his head without a word and Bokuto continued, “you said something about your own experiences before. Who hurt you? Who do I have to fight?” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Tsukishima gave Bokuto a small smile before standing up and pulling his headphones over his ears. He walked back to his room and shut the door, leaving Bokuto to imagine what had happened. 

Bokuto began to imagine the craziest stories about Tsukishima’s life. 

_What if Tsukki was an assassin and he was betrayed by his partner who he was in love with so now he doesn’t trust anyone? That would be really cool._

“Hey, Bokuto? Are you still friends with Kuroo?” Tsukishima poked his head out of his room, lowering his headphones from his ears. Bokuto nodded in response to which Tsukishima gave a small smile, “just checking.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're kinda nearing the end of this fic holy shit i am not ready for this. dont worry its not yet, but its coming
> 
> join us next time where  
> -you don't know? well i don't know either


	14. Nicknames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I don't know what I would do without you."  
> "Die, maybe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is really short and its basically just a filler to set up the next episodes, but since the next couple of chapters will be marking the end of this story, I need some time to prepare for that lmao. my planning for stories and whatever is absolute shit so yk i have to actually write out what i want to happen in the end so i can be prepared

“Koutarou.” Akaashi’s voice was soft as he slowly crept into the kitchen, hands pushing at his temples. He had a killer headache that he could only assume was due to the alcohol he had drunk at Bokuto’s mom’s place. 

He hadn’t even had _that_ much to drink. Maybe he was getting old. 

“Keiji! You’re out of coffee,” Bokuto pointed out, pouring Akaashi a glass of water instead of his normal coffee. Akaashi furrowed his eyebrows as he took the water.

“I don’t know what I would do without you,” Akaashi mumbled while taking a sip of the water. Bokuto let out a small laugh and wrapped an arm around Akaashi’s shoulders.

“Die, maybe.” Bokuto gave Akaashi a small kiss on the cheek before gathering his stuff to head back to his apartment. 

As Bokuto prepared to leave, Akaashi stopped him at the door. He handed him a small brown paper bag. Bokuto opened the bag and peered inside, finding a dozen cookies. 

The smell was sweet and Bokuto picked one out, admiring the small perfectly round cookies. Akaashi hid his hands behind his back as he bit the bottom of his lip. His cheeks were slightly flushed as he smiled at Bokuto. 

“I know that they’re not good, but I really wanted to make something for you just to thank you. They’re kind of cold cause I made them last night after you fell asleep, but I hope they taste okay.” Akaashi wasn’t sure if Bokuto even liked cookies, but he wanted to thank him somehow. Words didn’t seem like enough for everything that Bokuto had done, yet words were what Akaashi specialized in. 

He could string together a paragraph of purple prose to convince anyone of anything. He could create effortlessly beautiful descriptions that could twist the truth. Hell, he could change his own beliefs so that he could conform to what would get him in less trouble. 

But Bokuto could always see through his meaningless words. Bokuto knew what Akaashi wanted to say no matter what. 

And in this case, Akaashi’s pretty words weren’t enough to show how truthfully thankful Akaashi was to Bokuto. 

“Keiji, they taste amazing! I love you, but why did you hide your hidden baking talent from me until now!” Bokuto yelled through a mouthful of chewed cookies. 

“Keiji having a hidden baking talent? Yeah right! He can barely cook!” Lev’s voice was light as he mocked the two of them, revealing that he had been listening in for quite some time. Lev might be dumb, but he was smart enough to realize that even if he wouldn’t state it outright, Akaashi didn’t want to be called _Akaashi_ anymore. 

“I can cook just fine!” Akaashi yelled, knitting his eyebrows together at Lev’s remark. Lev laughed as he returned to the tv, unpausing whatever show he had been watching. 

“You always overdo the amount of ingredients you need to put in a recipe. When it says one teaspoon of vanilla, it means ONE teaspoon of vanilla not _five_.” Lev laughed softly, leaving Akaashi to mope over the fact that he was right. 

“Not like you’re any better,” Akaashi mumbled softly. Bokuto let out a soft laugh before giving Akaashi another kiss on the cheek. 

“I should head back, Keiji. Kuroo’s has been spamming my phone and I need to beat his ass.” Bokuto rolled up the top of the bag, making sure that the cookies wouldn’t spill. 

“I’ll call you later. I’m gonna work out my new major today so I’ll let you know how it goes.” Akaashi pressed a small kiss to Bokuto’s lips, earning a blush from Akaashi, despite him being the one to initiate it. It seemed like no matter how long they were together, he was still getting flustered by every small act of affection. 

“I love you, Keij.” Bokuto smiled, slowly stepping out of the apartment. 

“Keij?” Akaashi smiled softly at the nickname. 

“Just thought I’d try something new.” Bokuto shrugged, taking another step outside. Akaashi followed him out to the elevator. As the elevator doors opened with a ding, Bokuto gave Akaashi yet another goodbye kiss. 

“Love you too, Kou.” Akaashi whispered, watching as Bokuto smiled that same huge smile that Akaashi just loved to look at. 

“Kou?” Bokuto’s smile didn’t fade once as the elevator doors slowly closed. 

“Just thought I should try something new too.” Akaashi winked as the doors closed, leaving him only to imagine Bokuto’s face after his comment. It felt like a major achievement to Akaashi — that not only was he calling Bokuto by his first name, but he had also given him a stupid little nickname.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> join us next time for:  
> -idk why i even do this anymore do i look like i know whats going to happen next chapter
> 
> (do u guys recognize the nickname scene :oo is this clever or unoriginal?? maybe its both <3)
> 
> edit: might be a while till the next chapter apologies my dudes! im working on another project rn and i need to finish it soon so i dont have much time to write lol. ill try and get it out as soon as possible!


	15. Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I wanna-"  
> "I'm driving."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter took a while apologies

“Koutarou, where are you?” Akaashi called out as he ran back and forth across his room. Today was the day that Akaashi had been waiting for his whole life — graduation. 

“In the bathroom!” Bokuto yelled back, voice slightly muffled. Akaashi let out a small sigh as he tapped his foot outside the door. Daichi, Kuroo, and Oikawa would be knocking at their door in about half an hour. Akaashi stared at himself in the mirror, admiring the black gown that adorned his body. He looked… handsome. 

His posture was different than it used to be. Now, he was so much more confident. He felt happy now. The man standing in front of him wasn’t the Akaashi Keiji he had grown so used to in the past. Now, he was just Keiji. He was Keiji and he was happy. He was strong. 

I guess you could call it _character development._

“Koutarou, where’s your gown?” Akaashi narrowed his eyes as Bokuto stepped out of the bathroom, still wearing the t-shirt and shorts he had slept in. Bokuto rubbed the back of his neck and let out a sheepish giggle. 

“I think I forgot it at my apartment.” Bokuto trailed off, still smiling. Akaashi rolled his eyes and let out a small groan. As much as pretended to be annoyed, he was used to it by now and he might have even found it a little cute. He had signed up for Bokuto’s irresponsibility the day they had met up and decided to become friends again. 

“I’ll text Oikawa and ask him to bring it.” Akaashi pulled out his phone to text Oikawa, but he was cut off by a sudden knock at the door. Akaashi would bet $100 that it was Oikawa, Kuroo, and Daichi, because if they weren’t half an hour late, they were half an hour early. Bokuto yelled out that he would get the door and he ran towards it, pulling the door open to find the very same people that Akaashi had been thinking about. Bokuto gave each one of the three a bone crushing hug as Akaashi joined the group. 

“You’re early.” Akaashi furrowed his eyebrows, spotting a bundle of black fabric in Kuroo’s hands. 

“Hey, you shouldn’t be so rude to your saviours. Here, Bo, you forgot this,” Kuroo tossed the gown to Bokuto. Bokuto’s eyes lit up as he quickly began to take off his shirt, prepared to change in front of them. After several shouts from Daichi, he reluctantly trudged back to the bedroom to change into his gown. Oikawa slung an arm around Akaashi’s shoulders, smiling at him. 

“How’s it feel? You’ve been through so much and now you’re finally graduating. I knew you could do it, pretty boy.” Oikawa pinched Akaashi’s cheek, pulling it forward as he smiled. Akaashi rolled his eyes at Oikawa, staring at him as he waited for Oikawa to release his face. Oikawa eventually let Akaashi go and Bokuto joined the group, now wearing his gown. 

“I wanna-” 

“I’m driving.” Daichi cut Kuroo off, grabbing the keys from Kuroo’s hands. Kuroo shot him a frown but Daichi ignored him, opening the door and heading down to the car. Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s hand, linking their fingers together. He pressed a kiss to Akaashi’s cheek, earning a small red blush from Akaashi. 

“You excited?” Bokuto asked as the two walked out of the apartment. 

“Yeah, how could I not be? I’m finally graduating from the major that I want to be in. I’ve been waiting for this moment practically my whole life.” Akaashi let out a small sigh, turning to face Bokuto with a smile on his face. 

“I love your smile.” Bokuto told him, head tilted slightly to the side. 

“What?” Akaashi coughed at the sudden compliment, raising his hand to hide the growing blush on his cheeks. 

“When we first met in high school, you rarely smiled. I thought it sucked cause your smile is so pretty, y’know! Then I graduated without seeing your smile as much as I wanted to. It was the same when we met at that club. Your smile was so rare. I missed seeing it. Then you switched majors and you started smiling more! I dunno, this might sound weird, but your smile is the prettiest one I’ve ever seen.” Bokuto rambled on for a bit, talking about just how beautiful he thought Akaashi’s smile was. Akaashi wasn’t sure how to respond. Did he thank him, compliment him back, or just say nothing? 

“Simp. Hurry up, we're gonna be late.” Kuroo stuck his head through the door, saving Akaashi from saying anything embarrassing. 

“Shut up, Kuroo! Don’t act like you don’t simp for Kenma.” Bokuto stuck out his tongue as he and Kuroo burst into laughter. They group loaded into the car, Akaashi sitting next to Bokuto in the backseat. 

The car ride passed in silence, something that Akaashi couldn’t remember happening since he’d met Bokuto. Usually Bokuto and Kuroo would be laughing about some stupid joke and Oikawa would be singing along to the radio _loudly._

Maybe it was the nerves or maybe it was just the excitement at the idea of graduation, but not a single person had spoken a word since they had entered the car. 

Akaashi pokes Bokuto’s side causing him to whip his head around to look at Akaashi. Bokuto raised his eyebrows as Akaashi took a deep breath. 

“I think your smile is gorgeous and it might be the only reason that I even smile anymore.”

* * *

“God, I was itchy the whole time.” Bokuto sat down next to Akaashi, throwing an arm around his shoulders, “I needed to scratch my butt when they announced my name and I had to fight the urge.” 

Akaashi let out a small laugh, covering his mouth with his hand. Bokuto smiled at him and grabbed Akaashi’s hand, squeezing it three times. 

“Do you know what you’re gonna do?” Akaashi asked, squeezing Bokuto’s hand back three times. 

“Volleyball, probably. I got an offer for a team a few days ago and I’ve been thinking it over.” Bokuto shrugged, his signature smile never dropping from his face, “you?” 

“Freelance photography, maybe? I wanna get my name legally changed too.” Akaashi shrugged back, staring up at the ceiling. Akaashi knew the question that was on both of their minds, but he didn’t have the heart to say it. 

“I’m sure we’ll stay together, Keij, you don’t have to worry!” Bokuto seemed to read Akaashi’s mind. Akaashi looked back at him and without missing a beat, smiled. 

“I don’t know what the future will bring, but we’ve gone through too much to break up now. I love you, Kou. We can do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we are boyz! the final chapter. well not technically cause there's still the epilogue. ill probably get a lil sappy next chapter but until then i hope u enjoyed this and you'll join me on my next project


	16. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fairytale ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we are boyz its the epilogue!

Keiji sat in the stands, his camera in his hands as he peered through the viewfinder. He waited for Koutarou to leap into the air for a spike and then snapped a shot, erupting into applause louder than anyone else in the audience once the ball landed on the opposite court. His mouth twisted into a smile at the deafening applause as he saw Koutarou frantically scan the crowd in search of Keiji. 

Keiji waved at Koutarou, who smiled that same damn smile he always had on his face around Keiji. Koutarou”s golden eyes landed on Keiji whose clapping was basically the source of the thunderous applause. Koutarou gave him a thumbs up before returning to the court and preparing for the second set. 

Keiji watched as one of his teammates passed him a bottle of water and a towel. He felt a little bit perverted watching Koutarou wipe the sweat from his back. There was absolutely no way he was going to get hard from watching Koutarou literally just wipe sweat.

Except maybe he did. 

Keiji peered over at Oikawa who was sitting next to him. Nishinoya was on his other side, taking a break from the volleyball team while he was recovering from an injury. When Keiji had heard about Nishinoya’s injury, he’d been a little worried as to whether Koutarou’s team would be able to win without their libero, but Koutarou carried the team as much as he could. 

Keiji remembered Koutarou being described as ‘an ace who is coddled by the rest of his team’ back in their high school days, but now Koutarou was just an ace. Koutarou was practically the one who coddled his team. Koutarou had landed nearly every shot he had taken and even after a particularly bad block, he hadn’t even gone into emo mode. 

Koutarou was so much stronger now and his team was currently dominating 24-19. It was the final set and if Koutarou’s team could take this set, they’d win. It was so close. It was practically in Koutarou’s grasp. If he could just jump a little higher or hit a little harder, the win would be theirs. 

Keiji watched the ball, barely blinking so he wouldn’t miss anything. The setter made a fake out to the right before tossing towards Koutarou on the left. Koutaoru leaped into the air, preparing to spike the ball across the court. Keiji had seen a lot of beautiful things in his life and he had taken a lot of pictures, but nothing could compare to the sight of Koutarou. 

Koutarou was the physical embodiment of the word _beauty_. Everything about him screamed beauty. Keiji wanted to take a photo — to capture this moment forever and be able to see it again. But there was no photo that could do it justice. Keiji just wanted to stare at him forever. 

But no moment could last forever. 

And Koutarou dropped to the ground, arm hanging by his side. The entire stadium was silent for a few moments before erupting into thundering applause. Keijie let out a scream at the sight of the score going up one point. 

25-19.

Koutarou dropped to the floor, hiding his face in his hands. His team surrounded him and pulled him into a hug. Keiji thought that the only person cheering louder than him would’ve been Nishinoya. Keiji pushed past the crowd and ran down to the court, wrapping his arms around Koutarou. The two cried in each other’s arms for a few moments, before Koutarou pulled away. 

“One sec, Keiji.” Koutarou smiled through his tears, running over to the bench. He reached into the pocket of his bag and ran back over to Keiji. Keiji wiped his eyes, trying to get over his sudden crying fit. Koutarou stopped in front of Keiji, dropping down to one knee. Keiji’s hands flew up to his face, covering his mouth as his eyes filled with even more tears. Koutarou opened the box in his hands, revealing a small golden band. 

“I know you changed your last name to Bokuto already, but I want to make it official. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Keiji. I’m not really good with words, but I love you. Will you marry me, Keiji?” Koutarou stared up at Keiji, eyes of liquid gold spilling tears. The stadium remained silent, waiting for Keiji’s answer. 

“Kou… y-yes, Koutarou, I will. I love you, God I love you so much.” Keiji could barely squeeze out his words in between his sobs. Koutarou slipped the ring onto Keiji’s slender finger, the diamond glistening in the light. The stadium erupted into applause, cheering at Keiji’s answer. 

Keiji collapsed into Koutarou’s arms, ignoring the cheers from not only the crowd, but also Koutarou’s teammates. The two kissed once, Koutarou running a hand through Keiji’s soft curls. 

It wasn’t a fairytale moment like kids dreamed about. Koutarou was sweaty with his hair slicked down his forehead. Keiji could barely see straight through his tears and the two were surrounded by hundreds — no thousands of people. 

But Keiji didn’t exactly want a perfect fairytale ending. He didn’t care about the people staring or the fact that Koutarou’s shirt was sticky with sweat. He just cared that he was with Koutarou and this was as close to a happy ending as they would get. 

The two had been through so much that Keiji believed they deserved a happy ending. Even if it wasn’t perfect, it was happy. This ending was all Keiji wanted. 

He wanted to be with Koutarou forever. 

This was their happy ending. This was their perfect storybook ending. This was a fairytale to Keiji. 

And he didn’t think he could ever want anything more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i honestly cant rlly believe that its the end. im probably gonna get a lil sappy rn cause like ive been working on this fic for so long and its finally done which feels so weird. honestly this fic has been so hard for me to write. ive lost inspo so many times but ive kept going and it feels so good to be done. ive been so grateful for all of the support on this story and i remember every single comment ive gotten. you guys' support means so much to me and im so happy that you all have stuck with me since the very beginning. i love u all and i hope u stick around for whatever i write next!!
> 
> if u have any questions about any of the characters and their futures/pasts/whatever feel free to ask! ill do my best to answer!
> 
> ps: im planning on writing a short oneshot about tsukki cause i had a whole backstory fleshed out for him but i had to cut it cause i couldnt fit it in so i might not answer questions related to his past <3
> 
> edit: TSUKKI ONESHOT IS OUT NOW!! <333


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